Count Green
by Brittany Bauer
Summary: When a rescue mission to save Princess Peach goes wrong, it ends with the disappearance of Luigi. A month-long search for him makes Mario grow more and more worried about his safe return. But when Peach gets a letter from Luigi, telling her he was alright, she went on a trip to Evershade Valley...only to learn why he never came home.
1. Episode 1: Pilot

The pink-clad princess stood in the cold winds of Evershade Valley, staring up at the Gloomy Manor. Her long blond hair was blowing violently in the breeze as she pulled her brown cloak tighter around her, shivering in the cold.

"Why here?" She asked herself. "Why come here out of all the places in the Mushroom Kingdom?"

She took a few steps toward the door, her heels clicking against the pavement when the sound of a dog barking inside halted her movements. Her blue eyes sparkled in hope as she stared at the window to her right, now seeing a white glow racing away before she got a chance to see it. It was then that she noticed a dog house sitting right there in the front yard. It had a nameplate on it above the door.

It read: 'Polterpup'.

Peach grinned at this, happy to know that the little ghost dog would never leave his side. But the realization and knowledge that a dog house was here brought the princess some unwanted sadness. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, seeing the same sight as before. She sighed afterward.

"This only means one thing-" She didn't finish her thought, for the front door opened by itself and startled the young princess. She stared at the darkness beyond the door, as a set of calm, blood-red eyes stared right back at her. She recognized these eyes. Though the color threw her for a loop, she knew them once as sapphire blue. And it seemed that these red eyes knew her, too.

"Peach?"

OOOOOO

**COUNT GREEN**

**Episode 1: Pilot**

OOOOOO

**~One Month Earlier~**

Peach screamed bloody murder as Bowser was holding her back, keeping her from helping the Mario Brothers. Mario stared daggers at Bowser, while Luigi had his eye on Peach. He was thinking of a way to get her out of Bowser's grasp while Mario distracted him. But he had an obstacle in his way: Kamek. It was the first time Kamek decided to do this, and it didn't seem like Bowser was complaining.

"What are you going to do, Mario?!" Bowser yelled with a laugh. "Peach belongs to me and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Bro, watch out for Kamek," Luigi said, his blue eyes scanning the flying Magikoopa. "I don't like how this feels."

"Sure thing, bro," Mario replied. "Any ideas on how to save Peach?"

"Working on it," Luigi answered.

"Sheltered and possessed/stay forever young/live on blood alone/and set the spirit free," Kamek whispered into his wand, making the once red orb turn black with static bouncing off it. Peach heard the spell and got pretty worried over what was about to happen.

_What was that spell Kamek just said? _She thought, fear easily noticed in her blue eyes. She didn't like how it sounded for it gave her the sense that something wasn't going to end well here.

"Hey, Bowser!" Mario yelled, gaining Peach's attention now. She noticed Luigi wasn't by his side anymore.

_Where is he? _She thought looking around before she spotted the green plumber standing a little closer to where she was.

"Who said Peach chose you!?" Mario continued, and Peach could have sworn she saw Luigi sigh in defeat. But she didn't think anything more about it.

"She did! I know she did!" Bowser yelled back with a grumble.

"I think she should have a say in that, don't you!?" Mario yelled again, nodding to Luigi slightly. He didn't want Bowser to notice what was going on.

After a moment, Luigi got into a running position, waiting for the cue. Mario got a fireball in his hand, glaring at Bowser while the big Koopa did the same to him. "NOW!" Mario yelled as he threw the fireball at Bowser and Kamek, distracting them enough for Luigi to run in, grab Peach's hand, and race away from the danger.

"Take this!" Kamek yelled as he got ready to shoot the spell he just said towards Mario, making Peach very aware of what was going on.

"No! Mario, look out!" She yelled to him, causing Luigi to turn and see what was happening. He had turned right as Kamek shot the spell at the red plumber.

"Mario!" Luigi called as he ran in to help. Peach tried to stop him but he was too strong and had pushed Mario out of the way, taking the whole spell in stride. He screamed out in pain as he got shot back and hit a wall hard.

"Luigi!" Mario and Peach yelled at the same time, worry and fear for the worse in their eyes.

"Crap! Wrong brother," Kamek exclaimed as he went to say the spell again, only to stop when black electricity shot his hand. He ended up dropping his wand out of pain, before looking over at Luigi, seeing him starting to stand up. But he was struggling.

"Oh, thank God!" Mario exclaimed as was about to go up to his brother when a wall of ice stopped him. "Luigi!?"

Bowser looked on with fear as well, while Kamek watched with shock. Luigi was breathing heavily as he looked up at the two villains. And the sight that greeted them struck even more fear into their hearts. Instead of the sapphire eyes they were used to...they were blood red.

"Big mistake," Luigi said with a wicked smirk, before giant spikes of ice, glowing with black electricity, came up from the ground and shot towards Bowser and Kamek. Bowser ran away like a little kid while Kamek flew out of the way and towards safety.

"That's the last time you help me, Kamek!" Bowser yelled as he got into his Koopa Cruiser and raced out of the area.

"Luigi! What's wrong!?" Mario kept calling as Peach found a way around the ice, seeing Luigi leaning against the wall now. His breathing was heavy, his forehead was damp with sweat, he didn't look good.

"Luigi!" She called as she raced up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. She could feel how cold he was through his shirt. "Luigi, it's okay. It's over. Calm down," She began, grabbing his hand for comfort. "I'm right here."

Luigi looked away from her, not wanting her to see what was going on with him. "Please," He breathed out, jolted himself away from her. "Stay away." He then ran out of the castle, at an unnatural speed...non-human.

"Peach, what's going on!?" Mario called as the ice wall fell, giving him access to the exit. He ran up to Peach and took her into his arms.

"Mario, what happened to Luigi!?" She asked.

"I don't know," He answered. "I hope he's gone home. Come on. Let's get back to the Mushroom Kingdom." He led Peach out of the castle they were in and went straight back to the kingdom they grew up in. But they found out that someone wasn't there.

Luigi never came home.

**~Present Day~**

Peach stared into those red eyes, seeing the gentle soul behind them. Though she couldn't see his face, she knew who it was. How? Well, firstly, she had known him for far too long not to recognize him. And secondly...Polterpup was sitting by his feet.

"Luigi?" She asked with surprise. "Is that you?"

"You shouldn't have come here!" Peach was taken aback by that outburst, shocked that he would yell at her in such away. And it didn't help that she heard a slight echo to his voice like he had put it on to scare her. That wasn't the Luigi she knew.

"The hell I shouldn't have!" She finally yelled back, anger evident in her voice. A princess was never supposed to swear, but she was angry and pissed. She wasn't going to be the prissy, pink princess of good intentions at this moment. "If you didn't want me here, then you shouldn't have written to me a month after you disappeared!"

"Well, then you shouldn't have read it!" Luigi yelled back. The echo was gone now, but the intense look he was giving her seemed to send shivers down anyone's back. Even Polterpup's, since he had slinked away out of fear.

"Like I would pass up the opportunity on finding out that you're okay!" Peach yelled again, making Luigi drop his anger act and looked surprised. "Mario is worried sick! Hell, I was worried sick! A search party has been ordered by Toadsworth and myself to look for you! And yet, here you are! In the one place, I didn't even THINK you'd come to!"

"Peach, I-"

"Whatever Kamek did to you, I'm sure it isn't as worse as you made it sound in your letter!"

"Oh, trust me, it-"

"So just, come on home and-"

"Peach!" Luigi yelled, echo returning and stopping Peach in her tracks. Once she was quiet, he took a deep breath and spoke, this time with no echo. "I had to come here to hide. What Kamek did to me...it's not something I want Mario and everyone else to see."

"Oh, come on. It can't be that-" Peach began before backing up with a start, for Luigi was right in her face now. How he got there without her knowing was beyond her. "-bad." She finished with a gulp following afterward.

"Sorry," Luigi said, realizing his actions and backed up some. "I don't know my speed anymore."

"How did-?"

"I told you, Peach," Luigi said. "It's not good."

"Then what happened? Just tell me...please."

"I-I don't know HOW to tell you! I'm still confused and shocked by it myself."

"Confused and shocked about what?" Peach took a step towards Luigi, reaching out a gentle hand only to have him back up out of instinct now. "You said in your letter that you considered me to be your best friend. Well, I'm here for you as your best friend. So please...let me in."

Luigi looked up at Peach with fearful eyes, knowing that if he told her what Kamek did, he'd lose her. He couldn't let that happen. He, though didn't want to admit it to Mario, loved Peach more than any girl he's ever known. Though she was once with Mario, he still saw her as more than a best friend. So he couldn't risk the anxiety and hurt of losing her to what he had become.

But when he looked into her beautiful blue eyes, he just had this inner knowing that she wouldn't run. She would stay by his side until things cooled down. That's just how the princess was. So he took a deep breath and took one step into the light of the lamp outside. He looked at her again, seeing the calm grin on her face and the hope in her eyes. He needed to tell her.

He just chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck, which made something sharp in his mouth glint in the light in front of Peach. He figured she'd notice and it would be easier for him to break the news to her. Thankfully, she did notice, but she just stood there with pure shock.

"What?" He asked her, warm sweat building upon his forehead.

"What-what was that I just saw?" She asked as she walked up to Luigi and looked at him questioningly. She took in every possible feature, now seeing that he was more handsome than Mario, to be honest. But she also remembered: his eyes were red now. Not the blue she grew to love, but the red that only meant one thing.

She backed up in shock and fear, as the cold wind blew passed her once more. "No...he didn't." She said, staring at Luigi for a moment. "Please, tell me he didn't!"

"I'm sorry, Peach," Luigi said with a sigh. "But it seems like he did." He then obviously pointed to the fangs in his mouth now and his paler skin.

"But...what kind of TWISTED spell would turn someone into a...a...a VAMPIRE!?" Peach yelled with anger, more towards Bowser for letting Kamek do such a spell.

"I don't know," Luigi began, "I've been trying to find a cure."

"For a whole month?"

"Yes! For a whole month! But nothing's coming up!" Luigi sighed in defeat as he combed his hand through his brown hair. It took him doing this for Peach to notice he didn't have his green hat on like he usually did. But that wasn't the most important detail at this moment.

"There has to be one!" Peach exclaimed as the cold wind made her shiver. She tightened her cloak around her more, which Luigi noticed. He sighed and took her gloved hand into his.

"Come on," He said. "It's chilly out here. You don't want to catch a cold." He then led her into the mansion, closing the door behind them and taking her cloak. He set it on the coat rack and then led her to the living room.

"You've changed what this place looked like." Peach commented, recalling the tale a certain professor told her, as Luigi sat her down on the couch.

"Yeah, but I had Elvin's help," Luigi replied with a smirk. "Though, this place does bring back some old memories."

"You're not scared by them anymore?" Peach asked surprised.

Luigi chuckled a bit before looking back at Peach. "Nah," He said as he plopped down next to her. "If anything, I'd say that being turned into a bloodthirsty monster is a whole lot scarier than King Boo at this moment."

"True," Peach agreed with a giggle, before sinking into the soft cushions of the couch. She sighed as she looked at her hands. "If I had known Kamek's spell was going to turn you into a vampire, I would have taken the hit instead."

"No, Peach," Luigi stated with fear, sitting up and taking her hand into his. "Don't blame yourself for this. It was originally aimed for Mario, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, but-"

"And if you and I hadn't noticed, he would be here instead of me," Luigi continued, feeling a little drained all of a sudden. "So, count your blessings. You still have Mario."

"But I don't want just Mario!" Peach yelled, looking at Luigi in the eye. "I want both of you." Luigi's gaze faltered a bit, but he tried his best to keep eye contact with her. "You're both my friends! Granted, Mario is my ex now, but...we're a team. A family. What one of us is going through, then we ALL go through it." Peach stopped her little pep talk the moment she saw Luigi's breathing getting heavier. "You okay?"

"Yeah," He faked a smile, looking away and letting his breathing get heavier. "Just hungry."

"Oh!" Peach was immediately ready to go get him something to eat when two things came to her mind. One being that she didn't know where the kitchen was, and the second thing was...Luigi was a vampire now. This only meant that he didn't eat normal food humans ate anymore. He had to drink blood from another human to survive. And the last she checked, there were no humans in Evershade Valley. Unless you counted Elvin, but he was most likely at his newly built hotel.

This made Peach sigh in defeat before looking at her left arm. The white glove seeming to glow in the dim lighting that Luigi had in his living room. She grinned as she slowly reached over and slipped off her glove, revealing her pale hand with pink French manicured nails.

"Luigi," She spoke quietly, looking over at him and seeing that he was trying to hide the urge. She just grinned with a saddened eye before handing him her arm. He looked at it shocked and then at her, fear now present in his eyes. "Go on. I'll let you know if you're hurting me."

"But, what if I-!"

"Don't think that you won't stop," Peach said gently. "Think that you WILL stop."

"But-"

"I promise, Luigi, I'll let you know if you're hurting me. But right now, you are gonna die if you don't eat. So please...let me help."

Luigi stared into Peach's eyes for the longest time, seeing the sincerity in them as well as the gorgeous smile that adorned her face. A beautiful princess she truly was, inside and out. He grinned at her with remorse before gently taking her arm.

"I-I don't know if I can." He said with a tear falling down his cheek.

"You need to, Luigi," She said calmly, making Luigi look at her again, this time from the corner of his eyes. "I promise...I'll be fine."

"It'll hurt."

"I've felt worse." She giggled as she placed her right hand on his shoulder for comfort.

Luigi took a deep breath as he looked away from Peach, his eyes on her wrist. He couldn't hurt her. He just couldn't. But he had to eat and if Peach was offering him her blood, then who was he to refuse. So, he did what had to...he ate.

Peach winced a little at the pain, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. Plus, it was Luigi. He was a gentle soul. So he was most likely trying his best not to hurt her more than any other kind of vampire. After a while, though, it did start to sting a little. But thankfully, the moment she squeezed his shoulder, he stopped. He looked at her after wiping his mouth of her blood and seemed to be full of sorrow.

"You're fine, Luigi," She said with a giggle as she took her arm back. "And see! I told you I'd be okay!" Luigi just grinned at her now, before standing up and holding out his hand to her.

"Come on," He said. "Let's go get that patched up and then get you something to eat."

"I feel-" Peach began, before grabbing on to the cushions of the couch. Her head was spinning and spinning, and after about a minute it finally stopped. She placed her hand on her forehead, calming down her forming headache.

"Peach?" Luigi looked worried as he knelt before her, checking her over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She said with a reassuring smile. "I've just been getting these dizzy spells lately. It wasn't from you." Luigi didn't look quite convinced, which only made Peach roll her eyes as she grabbed her glove. "Come on." She stood up, getting another dizzy spell and almost falling over. Thankfully, with Luigi's new quick reflexes, he caught her in his arms.

They stared at each other, Peach's hand on his chest as a blush slowly formed on her cheeks. Even Luigi's cheeks were getting painted red. "Did you lose you a few pounds?" He asked her quietly, feeling a chill go down his spine. A good kind of chill.

"Uh...yeah," She answered with a sigh. "I was just so worried about you that I didn't find eating as important I guess."

"Peach!" Luigi scolded. "You can't do that!"

"Well, I'm sorry that if your disappearance made my appetite vanish, too!" Peach yelled back, immediately making Luigi lose his anger and sigh in sorrow.

"I'm sorry," He said. "I should have at least told you sooner."

"It's fine, Luigi," She started again. "I know now." She winced as she grabbed her wrist, getting blood on her once clean glove.

"Let's get that patched up quickly," Luigi said as he led Peach through the halls and to the restroom. He picked her up by the waist and sat her down on the counter, before starting to wipe up her new wound.

"So, is it lonely living here by yourself?" Peach asked, trying her best to make conversation.

"It can be," Luigi answered grabbing some gauze and wrapping it around her wrist. "Elvin comes to visit every once in a while. But he doesn't stay long."

"Oh." Peach seemed to be filled with sorrow at hearing this.

"I don't blame him for not staying long. I mean, I am a vampire now and truth be told...he's not as young as he used to be."

"No, I guess not," Peach said with a sigh. "I could see if someone in Toad Town would be willing to come and stay."

"No!" Luigi yelled a little too fast, before taking a deep breath. "I mean, no thank you. I'll be fine."

"Luigi, you know we're all worried about you," Peach stated. "I'm sure Mario would LOVE to hear that his twin brother is okay. Well...okay to a point."

"Yeah, I guess I could tell him I'm alright," Luigi said as he cleaned up the sink. "I don't have to divulge anything I don't want to."

"There you go!" Peach seemed genuinely excited that he was willing to do this. To tell his family he was alright.

"But then again, Mario can be a bit nosy," Luigi confirmed, which made Peach sigh in frustration. He sure was right. Mario tended to ask way too many questions, especially when it came to his family.

"More like a lot nosy!" Peach yelled. "He wouldn't get off my back when I told him I was leaving for a while."

"How long did you tell him you were leaving?" Luigi asked, finally asking the question that had been gnawing at him since the moment she arrived.

"Oh, I didn't give him a length," Peach said with a smirk. "I figured if I didn't find you, then I would go straight back to the Mushroom Kingdom...with my worry."

"Again, I'm sorry," Luigi stated. "But you did find me...what now?"

Peach looked into Luigi's eyes and grinned, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. "I'm staying."

"WHAT?!"

"You said so yourself, you get pretty lonely being up here all on your own!" Peach exclaimed. "And to be quite frank, I've been feeling very lonely myself in Mushroom Castle! So, therefore-"

"You have to go back!"

"Luigi! I'm not leaving knowing that you're here alone! It wouldn't be right!" She yelled in return. "So like it or not, I'm staying!" Peach was a headstrong girl it seemed, and Luigi didn't know how he felt about that. But he did feel alone with this secret.

"What if I hurt you without your consent?!" Luigi yelled, his eyes seemed to have been glowing red now.

"I promise you, that won't happen," Peach said in return as she hopped down off of the sink. "The only time you would is if you need to feed, which I would give my consent then. But I could always get you some from the hospital."

"Peach-"

"Please, Luigi," Peach interrupted. "Let me stay and help you. I'm sure two sets of eyes finding a cure will be better than one." Luigi sighed in defeat as he looked into her eyes again. There it was, the same glimmer and sparkle that made them twice as beautiful as anyone else's. She was an angel in a demon's domain now, and she wished to shed the light of Heaven around him as he suffered the flames. What would he have done without her?

"Alright then," He said with a grin. "Welcome to Evershade Valley."

**END OF EPISODE 1**

**I hope you guys liked the first chapter/episode of **_**Count Green**_**. I've always wanted to create a story that told the tale of a what-if Luigi said enough with the shadows and became a villain. Though we did get that from Super Paper Mario with Luigi getting turned into Mr. L. However, I think he's been overdone. So I give you this story.**

**I also don't see many Luigi x Peach stories out there. And though I have a Super Mario and Miraculous Ladybug crossover on here (and having that as a Luigi x Peach) I decided to write a second one. I have been shipping Luigi with Peach a lot lately and the only reason I can think of is because of MatPat's theory of Peach and Luigi being Rosalina's mother and father. So, yeah. LOL**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks for reading, God bless and remember: don't just write a story, paint a picture.**

**Au Revoir!**


	2. Episode 2: New Friends

Bowser paced back and forth in his throne room, Kamek floating beside the big throne in the far back. The big Koopa was grumbling with anger as the giant double doors at the other end burst open. A girl with black hair up like Belle's formal hair (only with curls on either side of her face), pale skin, and deep red eyes walked in with a regal posture. She was also wearing a skin-tight off the shoulders black gown, with black ballroom gloves (stopping in the middle of her upper arm) and the dress had red mesh sleeves.

Bowser's eyes grew angrier as he stood his ground in front of the woman. "What gives you the right to show up at my castle!?" He yelled as she stopped at least 10 feet away from him.

"Well, didn't my spell work?" She asked with mock innocence.

"It did," Kamek answered. "But I hit the wrong bro."

"Oh, I know," The girl replied with a smirk. "The Man in Green. Always in Mario's shadow. Always 'Player 2' and never the lead."

"What are you blabbing about?" Bowser asked impatiently.

"What I am saying is that a true villain would take this chance," The girl replied. "A true villain would see the opportunity at hand...and use it to their advantage."

"I don't need a vampire on my team, thank you very much," Bowser said, as he turned his back on the girl. "You can leave now, Aurore. I don't need your advice"

The woman, Aurore, just stared with a bit of surprise in her eyes. But a smirk soon graced her face, showing off her fangs with a glint from the light. "Don't need a vampire on your team. Wow. And yet...you already have one."

Bowser's eyes widened as he spun towards Aurore. He could see the fangs in her mouth now, as her eyes were glowing red. "You were one all this time!?"

"Of course," Aurore answered as she took a few steps forward. "And if you don't want Luigi on your team, as the most POWERFUL vampire ever in existence...then I guess the world is as good as mine." With that, Aurore disappeared in an explosion of black smoke, making Bowser and Kamek cough it back up.

The Koopa King stared at the spot Aurore was in moments before and growled with anger. "No fair! The world will be mine one day! If she thinks she can do this evil thing better, then I'll show her!"

OOOOOO

**COUNT GREEN**

**Episode 2: New Friends**

OOOOOO

**~One Month Before – the night before Peach found Luigi~**

Mario paced back and forth in Peach's office. The pink-clad princess was trying to focus on her paperwork, hoping to come up with something helpful for the kingdom, when Mario's aggravated groans echoed off the walls. She looked up at him as he plopped onto the couch, head in his hands.

"Where could he be, Peach?" He asked, making Peach sigh.

"I don't know, Mario," She answered. "I'm sure he's alright, though!"

"Did you NOT see the blast he took for me?!" Mario yelled. "He has to be in a lot of pain."

"Mario-" Peach began before Toadsworth walked into the office. His face was forlorn, full of hurt and sadness like he had just lost a loved one. "Toadsworth? Are you okay?" She asked when she saw her friend and colleague walk in.

"I'm afraid not, Princess," He answered as he pulled out from behind his back...

"Luigi's hat!" Mario yelled as he raced up to Toadsworth and took it into his hands. It still looked to be intact. No holes or rips. Even the L on the front was still there. "Where did you find this?!"

"One of the Toads found it in Boo Woods," Toadsworth said, taking a shaking breath in. "As well as-" He couldn't come to say what he wanted to tell them. He let a tear fall down his cheek before taking the hat from Mario and turning it to show the back of it. There was a small, dried up, speck of blood on the rim.

"No," Mario was quiet as he stared at it. "No, he's not-"

"He might still be alive though, Master Mario," Toadsworth spoke. "Boo Woods was where the first mansion incident happened for you two! Maybe he's there."

"Yeah," Mario was shaking as he took the green hat into his hands again. "Yeah. He has to be. He has to be!" The red-clad plumber ran out of the office, making Toadsworth sigh as he followed him.

"I'll leave you to your work, Princess," He said before leaving.

"Th-thanks," Peach stuttered as she sat back some in her chair. Her hands were shaking as she slowly spun towards the window behind her. Thoughts of her friend lying in a dying heap somewhere broke her heart. And if there was blood on Luigi's hat, that had to mean one thing: he was indeed hurt.

**(SONG: "The Next Right Thing" – Frozen II – Kristen Bell)**

_PEACH: I've seen dark before/but not like this./This is cold/this is empty/this is numb./The life I knew is over/the lights are out./Hello darkness/I'm ready to succumb./I follow you around/I always had./But you've gone to a place I cannot find./This grief/has a gravity/it pulls me down./But a tiny voice/whispers in my mind./"You are lost/hope is gone/but you must/go on/and do the next right thing"._

Peach stood up from her desk and walked over to her balcony door, looking out to the forest behind the castle. She half expected Luigi to be out there, staring at the blue sky and gorgeous scenery. But unfortunately, he wasn't.

_PEACH: Can there be a day/beyond this night?/I don't know/anymore/what is true./I can't find my direction/I'm all alone./The only star that guided me was you./How to rise/from the floor/when it's not you/I'm rising for./Just do the next right thing. _(Opens the double doors and walks out onto her balcony slowly.) _Take a step/step again./It is all that I can/to do/the next/right/thing._

She took a couple of deep breaths to calm down her nerves, as thoughts of her friend's smiling face entered her brain.

_PEACH: I won't look too far ahead/it's too much for me to take./But break it down to this next breath/this next step/this next choice/is one that I can make!/So I'll walk/through this night/stumbling blindly toward the light/and do the next right thing./And with the dawn/what comes then/when it's clear/that everything will never be the same again!/Then I'll make the choice/to hear your voice/and do/the next/right/thing._

**(End of the song)**

"Princess?" Peach turned towards the voice, seeing it was a Messenger Toad standing there.

"Oh!" She quickly wiped her eyes as she put on a smile. "How may I help you?"

"You have a letter," The Toad said as he handed the pink princess a black envelope with her name on the front. "Don't know who it's from because there's no return address."

"Thank you, dear," Peach said as she took the envelope in her hand.

"Sure thing, princess," The Toad then bowed and left the office quickly.

Peach just grinned as she looked at the object in her hand, immediately letting the grin fall the moment she saw the handwriting. She recognized this form of writing, she recognized the manly way her name was written, meaning...she knew who this was from.

"Luigi?"

OOOOOO

**~Present Day~**

Peach was staring at herself in the mirror of her private bathroom in the Gloomy Manor, grinning at herself as she brushed her long hair. "I wish I would have brought his hat with me," She said with a sigh.

"I have others," A voice spoke, making Peach jump as she looked through her mirror, seeing Luigi leaning against the door frame behind her. A smirk was on his face as he stared at her.

"You do?" She asked as she took a breath to relax her nerves. She wasn't going to admit it, but Luigi being a vampire kind of scared her. Though...it also intrigued her.

"Yeah," He responded as he crossed his arms. "One less won't hurt me." Peach smiled at him as she stood up and turned to face him now.

"What happened in Boo Woods?" She asked. "There was blood on the hat we found."

"Oh...right," Luigi took a deep breath and placed his hands in his pockets now. "Uh...well...I was trying to get away from the town, so I wouldn't hurt anyone. I was turning and fast. So I cut through Boo Woods to...uh...find a place to stay till the...pain, subsided."

"Oh, Luigi," Peach touched her heart, tears in her eyes as she heard this.

"But sadly, once I was fully turned, I needed to feed," Luigi answered as he scratched the back of his neck. "Before you ask, I didn't find a person. I found an animal. I figured that would be substantial and tide me over until I got to Evershade Valley."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Peach walked up to him and pulled him into a hug, with Luigi putting his arms around her torso. "I promise, we'll find a way to fix this. We'll find a way to change you back."

"I hope we do," Luigi said as they pulled away. "I kind of miss the normal human food." Peach giggled as a crashing sound was heard in the hallway, making Luigi sigh in defeat.

"She's back," He said as he rushed out of the room, Peach following behind him.

"Who's-?" She began to ask when she noticed a girl with black hair stopping just passed her shoulders and neon green eyes on the floor. She wore a plain white dress that stopped just above the knees and white flats. She was struggling to stand up from the knight that fell over, making Luigi sigh again. He walked up to her and helped her up.

"You okay, Grace?" He asked, slightly annoyed but he hid it well.

"I'm a ghost...I'm always okay. But thank you," The girl, Grace, answered before noticing Peach standing there. "Oh! A girl!"

"She's a friend of mine," Luigi said with a grin. "This is Princess Peach Toadstool."

"Hi," Peach said with a nervous wave of her hand.

"Princess? Luigi never mentioned anything about knowing a princess!" Grace yelled with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, I am now!" Luigi yelled, eyes glowing.

"We go way back," Peach said with a smile now. "I used to date his twin brother, Mario."

"Oh! Okay! I'm Grace, the only ghost friend that Luigi has here," Grace said with a sweet smile as well. "I'm glad to see that a human is okay with staying here."

"Yeah," Peach deadpanned as she held up her left arm, showing the bandage on her wrist. "I'm cool with this."

Grace saw the bandage and gasped with surprise. "And you haven't turned yourself!?"

"Grace!" Luigi yelled, now visibly annoyed. "Drop it! Just...where did you go?"

"Oh...uh...you see, I...um..."

"You didn't," Luigi asked with fear in his eyes and voice.

"Yeah?" Grace said sheepishly, which confused Peach.

"I told you not to go there!"

"Well, I'm sorry! But if anyone from your family should know, it's her!"

"Who?" Peach asked.

"I can't believe you went to her!" Luigi said. "It's bad enough that Elvin knows! She didn't need to know!"

"Who?" Peach asked again.

"She's still your family, Luigi!" Grace yelled. "She still deserved to know!"

"You know what she's going to do now, right?!"

"No! What?!"

"WHO!?" Peach finally yelled, gaining their attention now. "Who did she tell?!"

"Oh, that's right! You've never met her," Luigi said with realization striking him like a brick.

"Again...WHO?!"

"Vanessa, silly!" Grace exclaimed before poofing out of the area, just to be safe.

"Vanessa? Who's she?" Peach asked Luigi, seeing him rubbing his eyes out of frustration.

"Vanessa Mario," Luigi answered, looking over at Peach now. "My aunt."

OOOOOO

Aurore appeared out of a smoke cloud and stood in the Central Courtyard of the Treacherous Mansion. She swiped her hand to make a throne appear and a magic mirror with the scene of Luigi in the living room of the Gloomy Manor.

"There you are, my sweet," She said with a smirk. "I can't wait to have you in my domain."

**(SONG: "Candy Store" – Heathers The Musical) [Lyric change – I made it cleaner...partially lol; no dialogue]**

AURORE: I hope there's not a problem. I hope he sees my ways. I hope our views are the same, oh this will be the day. I would normally grab a stake, and drive it through new hearts. But I'm feeling nice, don't have to think twice, let's crown him King of the Dark.

Aurore turned away from the mirror and walked over to her throne, sitting down after a moment.

_AURORE: (I like)/casting spells/throwing heads/down a well./(I like)/drinking hard/lurking 'round/in your yard./(I like)/living here/causing pain/causing fear./(I like)/killing sprees/kicking nerds/who doubt me!/If you cannot see/what I can be/let me show what I can do./Why don't you come, old bloke/have some blood and smoke/in my kingdom with people like you!/Whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh!/Honey what'cha waiting for/Welcome to my candy store/time for you to prove you're not a loser/anymore/so step into my candy store._

Aurore stood up from her throne and walked off the side, grabbing a wine glass of blood from a table that was there.

_AURORE: (Girls will)/fall for you/drink their blood/then they're through./(All you)/have to do/is say goodbye/to the old you./(That boy)/wasn't brave/though it seemed/that's all he craved./(Now he's)/long since gone/time for you/to prove them wrong!/Now if the crown fits/great, he'll be a hit/in the kingdom as my new king./So forget those pests/time to pass my tests/to see what favors you will bring!/Whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh/whoa-oh-oh!/Honey what'cha waiting for/Welcome to my candy store/you've just got to prove you're not a loser/anymore/so step into my candy store./You can join my team/(or you can bitch and moan)./You can live your dream/(or you can die alone)./You can fly with eagles/it's what I prefer./This is pretty great/and it DOESN'T LIKE HER!_

Aurore took a sip of her drink, staring at the mirror again with a smirk. She couldn't help but feel some sort of connection to Luigi. It was odd in her eyes. She normally never felt like this towards anyone who she deemed worthy as a King. But then again...Kamek did use her spell on him.

_AURORE: Honey what'cha waiting for... _(Burps) Excuse me. _Step into my candy store!/Yeah-ye-yeah-ye-yeah-yeah-yeah!/And step into my candy store!/It's my candy store/it's my candy./It's my candy store/it's my candy./It's my candy store/it's my candy STORE!_

**(End of the song)**

"_Here you okay, Luigi," _Aurore froze at the sound of the voice, making her grip her wine glass tighter as she saw Peach handing Luigi a glass of red liquid.

"_Thanks, Peach," _He said with a grateful smile.

Aurore's glass broke from the tight hold as the blood that was in it spilled everywhere around her. "No," She spoke with gritted teeth. "How did she-?" She then thought of something. This could be some kind of a blessing in disguise for her. If the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom was staying with Luigi in Evershade Valley, then that meant her kingdom was at risk of someone to attack.

"Then again," Aurore spoke grimly as she sat down in her throne again. "The famous Mario Mario is there. He'd stop any plan I have." She thought for a moment, staring at the image of Peach sitting on the couch next to Luigi. "She's a smart girl," She said. "Just as smart as her mother. If anyone can figure out how to change this boy back to human, it's her." Aurore slammed her fist on the arm of the throne out of anger, yelling out of frustration when she saw Peach grab her head and sit stiffly.

"_You okay, Peach?" _Luigi asked her, making the pink-clad princess look at him and smile.

"_I'm fine," _She had said. _"Just another dizzy spell."_

Aurore's eyes widened at hearing this. "What?" She asked with surprise as she shot her head back up to the image in the mirror. "She's getting them now, too?"

OOOOOO

Luigi was in the living room, a wine glass of blood in hand, as he was looking out the window. Peach had a glass of red wine with her as she, too, looked out the glass. Why they were doing this, she didn't know. But she was by his side from the day they met. So she wasn't going to leave him anytime soon.

"What, or who, are we looking for exactly?" She finally asked after taking a sip of her wine, turning her gaze towards Luigi.

"For my aunt," Luigi answered as he took a sip from his glass, grimacing with disgust after he tasted its contents. "If Grace told her what happened to me, then she'll most likely show up. That's how Vanessa Mario works."

"I didn't even know your father had a sister," Peach said with a smile.

"Yeah, twin sister," Luigi answered. "She's a fun woman. Always sees the best in things and doesn't let negativity get to her."

"Is that why Nadia's the same way?" Luigi looked at Peach with surprise.

"I'm surprised. I thought you forgot about my sister," He said.

"How could I?! She's a lot like you and Mario: smart, loyal, adventurous...and maybe a bit shy."

"Hey!" Peach giggled at his retort. "I'm not shy! The other three, yes. Shy...I don't see it." Peach laughed now before seeing Luigi's face go all serious now. "There's, actually, also something I didn't tell you about my aunt."

"What's that?" Peach asked, before getting interrupted by a roar outside. She looked out the window with Luigi and saw a big silver-scaled dragon flying towards the manor. "The hell?!"

Luigi raced towards the front door, Peach was following suit as she set her glass down next to Luigi's, and stopped on the front step. Luigi was already there since he had superhuman speed now. Though he already had that to a degree.

The silver beast landed in the clearing as silver smoke started to swirl around her and grow smaller and smaller. Once it faded away, a young woman stood in its place. She had a bright smile with her blue eyes and wore an elegant knee-length silver and black dress with black ankle boots.

Peach just stared in surprise as the woman walked up to the gate. But it seemed the woman's excitement got the best of her, for she ran to the gate's door and swung it open with so much force, Peach half expected it to fly off its hinges.

"Luigi!" She exclaimed as she ran up to him and hugged him.

"Ciao, Zia Nessa," He said in return, tightening his embrace around her. "I didn't realize how much I missed you until now."

"Same with you, nipote **[Nee-pote-tay – in means 'nephew' in Italian]**," She said as she saw Grace in the doorway. She mouthed a thank you to the ghost before pulling away from the grown man before her. "Now, let me look at you." She kept him at arm's length, seeing his new red eyes sparkling in the dim lamplight. He smiled nervously, which showed off his new fangs as well.

"Who bit you?" The woman asked with worry, which only made Luigi roll his eyes.

"No one bit me, Zia Nessa!" He exclaimed. "Kamek cursed me to be like this for the rest of my life...which, come to think of it, won't ever end since I'm now...immortal." Peach saw the sudden change of emotion in Luigi's eyes, seeing that he now had infinite time in his life. It kind of saddened her a little bit. To watch all your loved one's age and pass on to another life while you're still the same age you were the past several years...that had to be hard to think about.

"Do you know what spell he used?" Vanessa asked.

"I overheard it," Peach exclaimed, making Vanessa look at her with Luigi. "I was being held captive by Bowser and Kamek was aiming this spell at Mario."

"You're Princess Peach?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember what the words were?"

Peach thought for a moment, trying to recall the words in her brain. But she suddenly felt the world spin and almost collapsed when Luigi caught her in his arms just in time.

"Whoa there," He spoke quietly as he held her close. Her hand was on his chest as she looked up into his eyes. "You okay? Another dizzy spell?"

"Yeah," She spoke as she looked over at Vanessa. "Sorry. I've been feeling rather dizzy lately. Um...let me-"

"It's alright, child," Vanessa said with a grin. "Maybe there's something in the library that will help."

"Maybe," Luigi said with a sigh. "But I've looked in every book I could find about spells! I couldn't find anything."

"Maybe," Peach began as she grabbed her head, "maybe it's in a different mansion. I mean, Evershade Valley is full of them."

"Yeah, true," Luigi spoke, keeping Peach from passing out. "But I'm starting to lose hope that it is."

"We just have to-" Peach saw the world getting blurrier and blurrier by the minute. "What's going on with me?" She asked as she looked up at Luigi. It didn't take long for her to yelp in pain as she grabbed her wrist...the one Luigi bit. Vanessa saw the bandage and looked at Luigi in a reprimanding way. Luigi just brushed his aunt off and gently took Peach's hand in his.

"It's okay," He spoke quietly as he put his head on top of Peach's. "I got you."

Peach winced once more at her wrist, before keeping her head on Luigi's chest. He was a lot taller than Mario, which she had to admit...she liked it. And this felt more comfortable for her. Being in the arms of someone she cared about. She felt safe. She only ever felt like this with Mario. But once Luigi went missing, things changed. They'd cuddle on the couch and he'd be distant, distracted even. It wasn't like how it used to be when they first met. But here with Luigi...the comfort was back.

"How long have you been getting these dizzy spells?" Vanessa asked with worry.

"For a while," Peach said. "But it was WAY before I let Luigi bite my wrist to feed."

"You let him?" Vanessa was shocked to hear this.

"Yeah," Peach answered with a wave of her hand. "Anyway, the spell sounded foreign to me."

"Do you remember the words?" Luigi asked as he loosened his hold on her. Though, he wished he hadn't.

"Yeah, actually," The blond woman said as she stood up straight a bit. "I do."

"What were they?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm afraid to say. I mean, what if it-?"

"It won't turn me, Peach," Vanessa reassured. "I'm a dragon. I can't be a vampire as well."

"She's got you there," Luigi said, making Peach giggle slightly.

"If you say so," Peach said with a smile. It soon fell as she moved out of Luigi's hold, patting his shoulder as a way of saying 'thank you', and thought back to the incident a month ago.

"Well?" Vanessa asked, making Luigi glare at her. And she seemed to have backed off since his eyes were glowing now.

"Sheltered and possessed/stay forever young," Peach began, with Luigi's gaze going back to Peach, "live on blood alone/and set the spirit free."

"Oh, my; God," Vanessa said out of shock. Luigi and Peach looked at her with confusion written all over their faces. "I know that spell."

"Well, it's a Vampire Turning spell," Peach said. "Or else Luigi wouldn't be here."

"No! I mean...I know the writer of that spell."

"Kamek didn't make it up?" Luigi asked surprised.

"No, he didn't," Vanessa returned, taking a deep breath as her hands were shaking now. "I just can't believe she's resurfaced."

"Who?" Peach asked concerned. "Who resurfaced?"

Vanessa looked at Peach and tried to remain calm for her sake. "Another vampire," she spoke honestly. "One that...your mother defeated, Peach." Luigi looked at Peach with shock, while Peach herself was just staring at Vanessa. The shock was still clearly in her eyes, she just didn't show it on her face. "Her name is Aurore Walter. She's vicious and ruthless and will do anything to get what she wants. She's even had a few kings for her kingdom...all killed by her."

"Oh, damn," Luigi said with surprise. "That's the definition of a Black Widow."

"Did you say her surname was Walter?" Peach asked, making Luigi and Vanessa look at her again.

"Yeah. Why?" Vanessa asked.

"No reason," Peach answered, as she pushed some of her hair behind her ear-ringless ear. _But that last name does sound familiar to me._

"Do you know where she could be?" Luigi asked, which was putting Peach a little on edge.

"Not a clue," Vanessa said with a sigh afterward. "I just hope there's a counterspell to change you back."

"You and me both, Zia Nessa," Luigi sighed out. "You and me both."

OOOOOO

Boo Woods was crawling with Toads, as well as Toadsworth, as they were searching for more signs of Luigi. They had found the mansion pretty fast since Mario was at the head of the search. He knew exactly where it would be located. But when they went inside, there were no traces of Luigi anywhere.

"We'll find him, Master Mario," Toadsworth had said to the red-clad plumber before delegating what the Toads were to do now.

Mario was just sitting on one of the foyer steps, holding Luigi's hat like it was an extra life. He couldn't bring himself to putting it down somewhere. If his brother was indeed gone, then this hat was the last thing that kept Luigi close to the red Mario Brother.

"Please, Luigi," He said as a tear fell from his eye. "Be alive still."

"Excuse me?" A voice spoke up, making Mario look up to the top of the foyer steps. There he saw a woman wearing a white gown with black accents. It had white sleeves that stopped at a point on the tops of her hands, and poofy sleeves on her shoulders. She had a similar face shape to Peach, but it wasn't exact. It was more elegant and refined, with mature blue eyes staring back at him. Her hair was blond too, but it wasn't as golden as Peach's. It was more pale, almost white, but not exactly.

"May I ask what is wrong?" She asked as she walked down the set of stairs on the other side of the foyer.

"I'm sorry," Mario said as he stood up, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I didn't realize my brother had someone staying here."

"What do you mean?" She asked again. This time, Mario could see she was holding a book in her arms.

"My brother, Luigi. He owns this mansion?" Mario retorted, sounding a bit annoyed. But who wouldn't when one of their family members were missing?

"Oh, right! The Man in Green," The woman said with a giggle and a grin. "The one who was enchanted by a young blond's beauty."

Mario nodded with a grin. "Yeah. He's had a crush on Peach for a while now."

"And you don't mind that?" Mario looked at her more closely as she said this. Now he was getting to be a bit on edge with her. Sure, she seemed friendly and nice, but now she was getting personal in some way.

"Actually, no," He ended up saying, not knowing what else to say. "Peach and I broke up. We were both under the stress of Luigi's disappearance and needed some space. If he wants her, then he can go for her now." He sighed in response to the statement. "I just wish I knew where he was. Even if it's...the worst-case scenario. I want to know."

The woman grinned at him with serenity as she walked up to him. She placed a gentle hand to his shoulder, making him look up into her eyes. They held the same sparkle of kindness he saw in Peach's. She even looked like an older version of Peach now that he got a better look at her.

"Who are you?" He asked with wonder, making her giggle with an angel-like sound.

"I'm surprised you have to ask," She said as she removed her hand from his shoulder, placing it back on her book. "But regardless, it's Queen Jocelyn...I'm Peach's mother."


	3. Episode 3: A Mother's Song

"WHAT?!" Mario exclaimed as he fell on the stairs, hurting his tail bone in the process. "But...but...!"

"Quit the stammering," Jocelyn said with a giggle as she held out a hand to him. "It's not becoming of a gentleman."

"But," He began as he took her hand was helped up, "Peach's mom died years ago! Before she turned 12!"

"You act like you haven't seen a ghost before, hun," The woman declared with another giggle. "I don't have to say, though, it's so nice to finally meet you, Master Mario." Mario grinned nervously, expecting her to just poof away. But she wasn't. She was just standing there, smiling at him with gratitude and with a welcoming spirit in her eyes. But there was still some kind of serious nature to her posture.

"But I'm afraid I'm not here for a visit," She spoke. "I'm here to help find Luigi."

"But...what if...?"

"No what-if's, darling," She said. "For I know he's alive."

**(SONG: "All Is Found" – Frozen II) [Lyric change]**

"What?" Mario asked with surprise and relief.

_JOCELYN: Where the night sky/meets the dark moon/there's a mansion/full of memory./Come, my darling/safe and sound./For in this mansion/all is found./Behind her walls/deep and true/lie the answers/and the path for him./Dive down deep into history/but not too far/or you'll be just a dream./Yes, she will sing to those who hear/and in her song/the magic flows./But can you brave what you most fear?/Can you face/what the mansion knows?_

Jocelyn then handed Mario the book, making him look at it as he hesitantly took it from her hands.

_JOCELYN: Where the night sky/meets the dark moon/there's a Zia/full of memory./Come, my darling/homeward bound./When all is lost...then all is found._

**(End of the song)**

Mario looked at the book for a moment, turning it over so the cover was facing him. "'The History of the Dark Moon'? What is-?" He looked up from it, only to see that she was gone now. "Oh, she poofs away now?!" He sighed as he looked at the book again...until it clicked.

"Evershade Valley," He said, a smile forming on his face. "Hang in there, Luigi. I'm coming."

OOOOOO

**COUNT GREEN**

**Episode 3: A Mother's Song**

OOOOOO

"No," Vanessa said as she threw another book behind her, making Grace sidestep out of the way.

"Did I come at a bad time?" The ghost asked with worry as Luigi was just reading through a book he found.

"No," Peach said with a giggle, as well as seeing what Luigi was reading. It wasn't a history book or anything helpful to change him back, but a book of fiction. She just rolled her eyes as she grabbed a magazine and hit him upside the head. He yelped as he grabbed his head and closed the book.

"Hey!" He yelled. "What was that for?!"

"I'm sorry, but we're trying to change you back!" Peach yelled. "So quick reading for fun and start looking for something helpful!"

"Are you sure this is the only library here, Luigi?!" Vanessa called from the piano, making Luigi roll his eyes.

"Yeah, Zia Nessa! I told you nothing here was helpful!" He exclaimed as he crossed his arms over his black vest covered chest. Peach had just noticed his style had changed from the blue overalls to black denim jeans and a black vest. Why he changed to that she didn't know, but she had to admit he looked good like that. Especially without the hat.

"We'll have to look some-" Peach began when...

"_Ah-ah-ahahah," _A voice sang out to her, making her stop her sentence and look around.

"Somewhere else?" Luigi finished. "Peach, you okay?"

"Didn't you hear that?" She asked while looking at Luigi. "It sounded like someone singing."

"I didn't hear anything," Vanessa stated, still looking through another book.

"No, I haven't, ma'am," Grace returned.

"You're probably just hearing things," Luigi said as he was going to go back to his novel when he stopped himself and grabbed a history book about vampires.

_How was I the only one who heard it? _Peach thought as she stood up from the ground. She dusted off her pink skirt and magenta top before slipping her new black flats back on. "I'm going to see if I can find any other bookshelves in any of the rooms. Maybe Elvin's old lab?"

"Maybe," Luigi returned. "But be careful. The greenies like to play pranks."

"Okay," Peach giggled as she walked out of the door and closed it behind her.

She started to breathe heavily as she looked at her hand, seeing a black fireball appear in her palm. She made it disappear before holding her hands to her chest and leaning her back against the door she just went through.

"I used to have nicer magic," She said, sighing while her eyes closed. "Pink was always my color. What's going on with me?"

**(SONG: "Into The Unknown" – Frozen II) [Lyric change]**

_VOICE: Ah-ah-ahahah...ah-ah-ahahah/ah-ah-ahahah..._

_PEACH: I can hear you/but I won't./Some look for trouble/while others don't./There's a thousand reasons/I should go about my day/and ignore your whispers/which I wish would go away./Oh-oh-oh._

_VOICE: Ah-ah-ahahah.../(PEACH: Oh-oh)/Ah-ah-ahahah..._

_PEACH: You're not a voice/you're just a ringing in my ear/and if I heard you/_which I don't_/I'm spoken for/I fear./Yes, that man I've always loved is here within these walls./I'm sorry secret siren/but I'm blocking out your calls!/I'm on my adventure/I don't something new./I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you/into the unknown!/Into the unknown!/Into the UNKNO-OH-OH-OWN!_

Peach started walking down the hall toward the foyer, opening the door and walking in. She looked around as she walked further in, stopping at the staircase.

_PEACH: What do you want?/Cause now you're keeping me awake./Are you here to distract me/so I make a big mistake? _(Idea comes to her as she leans against the railing) _Or are you someone out there/who knows all the answers?/Are you someone who/can stop all this danger?/Everyday's a little harder/as all my powers grow/don't you know there's part of me that longs to go/into the unknown!/Into the unknown!/Into the UNKNO-OH-OH-OWN! _(Pushes herself off the railing and runs into the hall with the knights.) _Are you out there?/Do you know me?/Can you feel me?/Can you show me?!_ (Runs through this hall and comes out to the front door entrance hall; she looks around with worry.) _Where are you going?/Don't leave me alone!/How do I/follow YOU/INTO THE UNKNOWN!_

**(End of the song)**

A knock on the door made Peach yelp out of fear and look over. Instantly, she wished she hadn't. She saw a glimpse of red in the frosted window on the door, making her eyes widen in fear.

"Great. Just what we need," She said quietly to herself. "Mario showing up when we're busy."

"Luigi?! You in there?!" Mario called through the door. He sounded pretty worried. "Please be in there! I need to know you're okay!"

Peach sighed in defeat as she looked towards the way that led to Luigi. He wouldn't like her answering the door for Mario since he didn't know this was where she came a day ago at this point. But if she didn't, he would just keep going to the other mansions. And only God knew who was living in those. So she took a deep breath and turned back to the front door.

She walked up to it and pulled open both of them with so much power, she didn't even know she had. "Hey, Mario!" She exclaimed as loud as she could. Hopefully, with Luigi's new super hearing, he'd hear her and run for cover.

"Peach?! What the hell are you doing here?!" Mario asked with surprise.

"Oh, just came to visit the Professor! But it turns out he left for his hotel again!" Peach lied, keeping her volume up. Maybe even Vanessa would hear her and get Luigi out of here.

"That makes sense, considering he lives down the block," Mario reasoned. He went to say something else when he noticed Peach's bandaged wrist. "What happened?!" He asked as he took it into his free hand.

"Oh! I've been such a clutz lately!" She exclaimed. "I cut myself on one of those stupid knights! You know how their swords fall when you run past them!"

"Yeah, I remember," Mario seemed suspicious now, looking her over before looking back at the bandage. He set the book down on the table near him and traced over the white material. Peach was a little nervous that he would feel the bite mark, but she didn't dare move her arm out of his grasp. He'd suspect something even fishier than he was now.

Mario went over where the wound was a couple of times until he felt something like a hole in her skin. His shoulders tensed up as he felt again and found another one. He sighed out with anger as he looked at Peach.

"Then why does it feel like you were bitten?" He asked, his lips stiff with anger. Peach was at a loss for words. She was going to say something, but couldn't find the right way to say it. It was hard to come up with an explanation of how you have two sharp teeth holes in your wrist.

"Uh," She tried. "The Knights' weapons! They have two blades that look like teeth!"

"Peach, I know you're lying!" Mario yelled as he tossed her hand back, making her yelp out as she grabbed it. Immediately, Mario felt bad. "Sorry." He said.

"It wasn't you," She said. "It stings every once in a while."

Mario sighed as he grabbed the book and looked at Peach. "What's going on, Peach?" He finally asked dully, making the blond princess look at him. She would have said something, but her vision was getting blurry again, and the room was spinning.

_Not now, _She thought.

"Peach?" Mario asked again. "You okay?"

"Uh-" She went to say something when she felt herself falling. But thankfully, she was caught in strong but gentle arms. She looked up with her blurry vision as she was being held up by someone. She couldn't tell what was happening since the room was strangely quiet now. But something told her it wasn't a pretty sight.

"Luigi?" Mario spoke up with surprise, which made Peach shake her head and her vision was back. She looked over and indeed, it was Luigi who caught her. His gaze was on Mario now.

"Hey, bro," He said with a grin. He helped Peach stand up and sat her down on a nearby chair for a moment.

"Luigi!" Mario ran up to him and gave him a hug, which Luigi was caught off guard by. He was surprised, to say the least. "I was so worried about you."

"Uh," Luigi said as his breathing was getting heavier. "Mario...stand back," Mario let go of Luigi and took a few steps back out of confusion. Luigi had grabbed the table near Peach, who had grabbed his arm out of worry.

"Luigi?" She asked.

"I'm fine...just getting hungry again," He said as he gave her a reassuring grin.

"What's going on?!" Mario exclaimed. "You disappear for a month and don't give any clues as to where you are! And right after our latest adventure to save Peach!"

"I-I had to, Mario!" Luigi yelled as he looked at his brother, his red eyes glowing a bit now. "I didn't want to hurt you!"

"Why would you hurt me?! If anything you saved me from Kamek's spell! What even happened with that?!" Mario yelled. "Doesn't matter! I should be thanking you for that, but right now, I'm-!"

"Mario, STOP!" Luigi screamed as his black electricity shot through the air and hit the wall. Thankfully, it was away from the others. "If you can't see what's right in front of your face then you're blind!"

"What are you-?!" Mario began before Luigi fell to the floor, weak.

"Luigi!" Peach stood and knelt before him, seeing sweat forming on his forehead. She looked at her wrist with the bandage and tore it off quickly. The bite had scabbed over now and looked to have been healing already. But they would have to be re-opened. She was willing to let him feed on her wrist again when Grace ran in.

"Here," She said as she handed him his wine glass from earlier. It still had some fresh blood in it for him. He gratefully took it and drank some of it. Not a lot, just enough to replenish himself.

"Thanks, Grace," He said as his breathing was getting slower and more rhythmic.

"What just happened?!" Mario yelled. "And I knew that was a bite mark!"

"Mario, calm down," Peach said as she stood up. "Be glad you didn't have to see him feed on my wrist!"

"Feed?! What are you-?!" It then clicked in his brain, making his eyes widen before looking at Luigi who was now sitting in the chair. "No." He said, causing Luigi to look at him again. "That spell didn't turn you into a bloodthirsty monster."

Luigi grinned sarcastically. "Took you long enough to figure that out, huh?" He said before going back to his drink. He took another sip and sighed with relief.

"But...how...what...?!"

"Yeah, I had the same reaction," Peach said. "It was hard to swallow at first, but I promised to be there for him."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Mario asked a little hurt.

"I didn't want you to judge me for what I am now, Mario," Luigi answered, standing up and placing the glass on the table. "I just couldn't face you knowing that I might lose control and bite you without consent."

"Oh, but Peach is fine?!"

"Mario," Peach reprimanded. "Don't go there! Besides...I let him!"

"You-"

"She knew I needed help, Mario," Luigi sighed. "But if you can't understand what's happened, maybe you should just go."

"But-"

"GO!" Luigi yelled, an echo to his voice to strike fear in Mario. But Mario's face showed that he was unfazed by it.

"Luigi, I deal with Bowser daily. The echo in your voice isn't going to scare me away," He said. Luigi groaned as he plopped back down on the chair.

"Just, please! I hate having you see me like this!"

Mario sighed as he looked at the book in his hands and set it down on the table next to Luigi's drink. "I'm not going anywhere." He said quietly, making the trio look at him with surprise. "You're my brother. Whatever I can do to help...I'm here."

Luigi stared surprised for a moment, not knowing how to process this news. But he found himself smiling at his brother before standing up and hugging him. Mario returned it without any hesitation. "Thanks, bro," He said.

"Sure thing, Weegie," Mario said in return.

"Told you he'd help!" Vanessa exclaimed as the twin brothers pulled away from their hug and looked over at the woman walking in from the hall.

"Zia Nessa?" Mario asked, confused at first when Jocelyn's words came back to her. "Where the night sky meets the dark moon, there's a Zia full of memory." Peach perked up at this phrase, making her heart flutter a bit. "Now that phrase makes sense."

"My mother always sang that to me as a little girl," Peach returned as she placed a hand to her heart.

"How'd it go?" Grace asked with enthusiasm.

"Now is not the time for old motherly songs," Vanessa exclaimed before noticing Peach's surprised face. "But I take it it's important?"

"The words...I just realized," Peach began, "they were a message."

"What message?" Mario asked, confused since he just heard it.

"Think about it," Peach said. "Where the night sky meets the dark moon, there's a mansion full of memory."

"Okay," Luigi said slowly, trying to keep up with it.

"Behind her walls, deep and true, lie the answers, and a path for him," Peach continued. "Dive down deep into history, but not too far, or you'll be just a dream."

"History? That sounds like-"

"The Treacherous Mansion," Mario interrupted Luigi with surprise. "That's where your final battle with King Boo happened in 2013!"

"Yeah! But what does 'there's a Zia full of memory' mean?" Luigi asked. "I mean it could mean Zia Nessa has the answers."

"But I don't know anything about vampires, Luigi," Vanessa said. "Just dragons."

"But then, that means..." Grace began as she looked at Peach, who was now shocked beyond all belief.

"My mom had a sister," The blond princess said as she looked up at the other four people there.

"A Zia full of memory must be your aunt then, Peach!" Mario exclaimed. "She must know how to reverse this curse on Luigi!"

"Peach?" Vanessa asked, causing the said princess to look at her. "Why'd you ask about Aurore Walter's last name?" Peach gulped down the nerves that were bubbling in her stomach as she took deep breaths.

"Because," She began, trying to keep her sanity, "that was my mother's maiden name."


	4. Episode 4: The Battle of Two Sisters

**By the way, "Zia" in Italian is "Aunt". Don't know if I ever mentioned that (lol). Anyway, on with the story!**

OOOOOO

**COUNT GREEN**

**Episode 4: The Battle of Two Sisters**

OOOOOO

The Dark Moon was hidden behind clouds as the sun shines down on Evershade Valley. It was another day in the Gloomy Manor as Peach woke up from a dreamless sleep and got dressed. She brushed her hair (and teeth) and placed a small gold tiara on her head, instead of the crown she usually wore back in the Mushroom Kingdom. She threw on a light coat of icy blue eye-shadow, some liquid black eyeliner, and pink matte lipstick before leaving her room and heading to the kitchen.

Her mind was wandering, however, as she made her way down the halls. Her mom had a sister that she never even knew about. Her life was turning upside down when this was supposed to be about Luigi getting turned back to normal. Then again, God has some weird ways to push a person to who they are meant to become. And Peach believed that there was a reason she was learning about all this now rather than when she is on her death bed many years down the line.

"I wonder why I was never told about my Aunt Aurore," She said, just curious as to why her father didn't mention it. Her mom died when she was 12, back in 1997. And before she was even born, her mom was living a Cinderella life before meeting her father, the Prince at the time. Did her father even know about his wife's sister?

Peach shook her head after a while and put on a smile as she walked out to the patio past the library door. She decided to think about all this later, not now when she needed to focus on Luigi's dilemma. He was more important than her family crisis at the moment. So, she rolled back her shoulders and stood straight like a queen before walking through the kitchen door from the patio.

Inside was Mario and Vanessa, working on making some pancakes, eggs, toast, tater tots, and sausage. The smell wafted into Peach's nose, making her mouth water for the delicious meal as her stomach growled. Mario heard this and chuckled as he placed a plate of just eggs, tots and sausage in front of her.

Peach walked up and sat at the island, picking up a fork before she dug in. "Thanks," She said to Vanessa and Mario.

"No problem," Vanessa replied with a smile. "It's been a while since Little Red and I had some fun in the kitchen together."

"Zia!" Mario complained, making Peach giggle.

"Little Red?" She asked.

"It was a nickname my father gave me since I decided to wear red like him," Mario answered with a sigh. "It's kind of embarrassing."

"I find it sweet," Peach declared as she took another bite of her food.

"I think your mom was a bit saddened by that," Vanessa retorted. "But once Luigi took interest in the color green, I think she didn't mind."

"Wait, your mom wore green?" Peach asked after swallowing her food.

"Yeah," Mario answered. "She was also a great cook, which is how Luigi and I got into it ourselves."

"Oh, that's so neat!" Peach exclaimed. "Tell me, which one of you is the better cook?" Mario took a moment before he felt the judgeful eye of his aunt on him, telling him to speak the truth. Mario in the end just sighed in defeat.

"It's Luigi," He answered. "I took on our father's business of plumbing rather than cooking like our mother."

"And I have to say, you are way better with the pipes than you are with the pan, Little Red," Vanessa retorts, making Peach giggle again.

"Thanks, Zia," Mario said with a reluctant grin on his face. But Peach still saw the sincerity in his eyes. She smiled at this before taking the final bite of her food. She went to take the plate to the sink when Mario grabbed it from its spot on the island and tossed it in the sink himself.

"Oh! Thanks!" She said with surprise but was still smiling nonetheless. "Speaking of, where is Luigi?"

"He's in the library," Mario answered, nodding to the other door. "He would have cooked breakfast himself, but his heart wasn't in it."

"I don't blame him," Vanessa said. "If it was you who got turned into what he is, you'd be feeling the same way."

"I almost was, Zia," Mario retorted. "The spell was aimed at me and Luigi took it instead. He saved my life."

"He sure did," Peach said with a sigh. "I'll go check on him. Thanks for breakfast." She walked up to the door that led to the library and walked inside. She saw Luigi sitting on the piano bench, leaning up against the instrument. Thankfully the lid was closed over the keys.

"Hey," She spoke, making Luigi look up at her and grin.

"Hey," He responded.

"How are you doing?" Peach asked as she walked up to him and sat beside him on the bench.

"Eh," Luigi began, "hanging in there. I just hope we find a cure soon."

"We will. I promise." Luigi looked over at Peach and grinned at her hope, feeling his heart beat faster than normal. Though he was turned into something without a living heart, Peach was still able to make it beat when he needed it to the most.

"I hope so," He began as he looked down at his gloved hands, "or else things might get worse for me." Peach sighed as she placed her head on his shoulder, taking his hand into hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"No matter what happens, Luigi," She began, "I'll always be by your side." This is how things were for them. When one was down, the other would just sit with them until their mood had changed. Peach tended to take it to where she'd take his hand to show that she was still there. And boy did Luigi need this today.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked, changing the subject after a moment, his grin turning into a smile.

"It was decent," She answered, a soft grin on her face. "Mario and Vanessa are making breakfast."

"I know. I can smell it," He answered, sighing in defeat as he pulled out something small from his pocket. Peach looked up at him as she sat up and saw him place a gold banded ring with a blue sapphire on her middle finger.

"This is just a thank you gift," He said, grinning at her surprised face. "A thank you for always being there for me."

Peach smiled as she looked at the ring, seeing the sapphire glimmer in the light of the room. She wasn't expecting a gift like this from the green plumber. But she was still grateful.

"It's my pleasure," She said with a smile as Luigi stood up and held out his hand. She giggled as she placed her smaller one into his palm and was pulled up softly. "Where did you get this?"

"I found it a while ago," Luigi answered. "It just reminded me of you." Peach looked back up at Luigi, grinning at his thoughtful heart before saying her thank you and heading to the kitchen. Luigi was right behind her.

Mario looked up from his breakfast and grinned at his brother, while Vanessa was cleaning up the pans she used to cook with. Peach grinned back as she watched the bros talk and laugh like nothing had changed. It was nice to see that even though things were stressful, Mario and Luigi were making the best of it. But as Peach stood there, her smile fell. The room started to spin, making her grab the counter beside her. Mario perked up with this as Luigi looked at her as well.

"Peach?" Mario spoke, catching Vanessa's attention as well. Luigi's eyes looked concerned as he raced up to her and placed a hand on her back.

"Peach, are you okay?" Luigi asked.

"I-I'm-" Peach started to speak, as the room spun more and more, faster and faster before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell into Luigi's arms.

"PEACH!"

OOOOOO

Darkness.

That's all that was seen as Peach was coming to. Darkness and the smell of her mother's body lotion wafting into her nose. A scent of Wild Madagascar Vanilla that Peach, to this day, found pleasant. So pleasant that she would use the same lotion, just to have the sense that her mother was still there. But she didn't have it in the Gloomy Manor with her and though Mario asked if he could go get a few of her things for her, she had rejected it.

So, why, or how, was she smelling this scent now?

"Mom?" Is the voice that spoke up as the sound of a door opening was heard. "Mom, wake up!"

_Mom? _Peach thought as her eyes fluttered open to see...herself? Her big blue eyes were staring at her with a smiling face, as her shoulder-length blond hair was up in a ponytail. That was definitely Peach, but it was her 12-year-old self. _What's going on here?_

"Come on, mom! Toadsworth says he needs to see you!" Young Peach said with an even bigger smile now that she could see her "mom" was awake.

"I'll be down in a minute," Was what came out of Peach's mouth, but it wasn't her voice. It was softer, more regal, and mature. It sounded like...

"Hurry!" Young Peach said with a giggle before rushing out of the room.

Peach sat up as a strand of pale blond hair fell over her shoulder. She looked at it and her eyes widened. Quickly, she got out of bed and looked in the full-body mirror she knew her mom had in her room. She stared at her reflection and instead of seeing herself, she saw...

"Mom?" She spoke with surprise as she looked down at her magenta nightgown. Or rather her mom's magenta nightgown. "I'm back in 1997, but as my mom? How?" Her eyes widened again, as she realized the year she just spoke of. "1997...the year my mom-" She stopped herself as she placed a hand on her forehead.

Peach was confused (and a bit excited to see her mom again) but mainly confused as to why she went back in time. The last thing she remembered was passing out in Luigi's arms with the last thing she heard being her name called out by her friends. She looked around the room, seeing the photos of her younger self with her mom and dad, as well as her younger self with her cousin Daisy from Sarasaland. That reminded her that she should tell Daisy about Luigi's plight (though he probably would rather her not knowing).

After a moment, she heard her younger self running down the hallway giggling. She grinned as she went to the closet, seeing the gown her mother wore the day she died (and was essentially buried in). She took it off the hanger and got dressed, putting the gown on, and looking at herself in the mirror again. She took a deep breath before slipping on a pair of magenta heels and leaving the room.

She walked down the halls of her castle, grinning at the memories that were flooding her brain. Memories she thought she had forgotten over the years. She past the portrait of her mom and dad together. Her mom was sitting on a chair with her father behind her, and her mom was holding Peach in her lap.

"This must have been when I was 5," Peach said with a grin before she heard someone behind her clear their throat. She turned around to see a young Toadsworth standing there with two cups of coffee in his hands.

"My queen," He said, handing one of the cups to Peach (or her mother? It was a confusing situation).

"Thank you, Toadsworth," Peach heard come from her voice, though (like before) it wasn't her voice. "Where is Peach?"

"The princess is having breakfast in her room today," Toadsworth answered with a smile.

_Perfect, _Peach thought. _Now I can think._

"But you do have a visitor, my queen," Peach perked up at this news, though her being in her mother's place, she just cocked her head to the side.

"A visitor? To whom do I have the pleasure of seeing?" Is what her mom asked.

"She says she's your older sister, your majesty?" Peach felt her mom tense up at the sound of that statement, making her wonder more of what was going on. A breath hitched in her throat, but her mother's voice came out normally, with a hint of maturity and nobility coming with it.

"Let her come forth," Was her mother's words. "I'd like to hear what she has to say."

OOOOOO

Peach's room was quiet as Luigi sat beside her bed while holding her hand. She just lied there without moving a muscle. Thankfully her chest was moving up and down, meaning she was still alive and breathing. And that was what Luigi was most grateful for.

"Please, Peach," He began with a faint quiver to his voice, "wake up soon."

Mario was in the doorway of the room, seeing what was going on and grinned. Seeing how worried Luigi was for Peach, and seeing how he looked at her whenever she was around...he knew his twin brother had feelings for the blond princess. He always knew and refrained from being jealous of it. If anything, he kind of wanted to encourage a relationship with them. But at the time, he (himself) was with Peach and couldn't say anything without giving Luigi's feelings away.

After a while, he noticed the sapphire ring on Peach's hand, making him grin even more. _He finally gave it to her, _He thought before pushing himself off the door frame and walked off.

As he was walking down the hall, his mind went from Peach to Luigi. His heart sank and his grin fell as he went back to when Kamek aimed that spell at him. He was grateful Luigi was there and that Peach yelled for him to look out when she did.

**(SONG: "If I Believed..." – Starkid's Twisted) [Lyric change]**

But he hoped the spell would have bounced off Luigi and hit him anyway.

_MARIO: If I believed in wishes/as silly as it seems/I'd find that hidden cure/turn back the sands of time/and save you./If I believed in dreams./If I believed in wishes/if I believed in good/I'd be the best plumber/and we'd have the best summer/if I believed we could./But wishes are dreams/and dreams are pretend/so science and reason win out/in the END!/Science says you're stuck like this forever/reason says you'll stay forever young./But something in my heart/some secret hidden part/illogical insists your heart's still there/somewhere!/If I believe in wishes/if I can find the key/perhaps it's not too late/to change the course of fate/cause after all you must be pretty great...if she believes in you._

**(End of the song)**

As he entered the living room (grabbing his book along the way), he noticed Vanessa on her laptop. He waved to her as she had looked up at him, seeing a saddened light in Mario's eyes.

"Are you okay, Mario?" She asked as she watched him sit down on the couch with her, but further down.

"I'm fine," He retorted, before opening his book to the front page and drowning out his thoughts with a good read.

OOOOOO

Back in Peach's "dream", Peach (or herself as her mother? It's still confusing) was sitting in the Queen's throne, waiting for the visitor to come in. Peach was a nervous and anxious ball inside her mom's mind. She was told earlier that the visitor was someone claiming to Aurore Walter, her mother's older sister. This had to be the day that made her father not even mention the possibility of her having an aunt on her mother's side.

_This has to be the day the attack from an unknown force was set in motion, _Peach thought as Aurore waltzed in five minutes later, her red eyes glowing intensely. Her black gown flowed elegantly as she practically floated across the carpet. _So this is my never-mentioned aunt, _She thought as she was holding her breath, while Aurore stopped in front of her. But her mother was calm.

"Aurore," Her mom began, "it's a surprise to see you again. And I must say, you still look like you did when you disappeared." Her mom held her barings like a professional from what she saw through her eyes. But she saw Aurore across from her, and she had a smirk on her face.

"Well, being a magical being," Aurore began, "I would think I would know how to stay young. Though, you look to be getting some wrinkles, little sis."

Peach felt her mom grin at Aurore as she stood up from the throne and took a step down from its pedestal. "Being the Queen of a kingdom can do that to someone, I guess." She spoke with elegance. "Now what can I help you with?"

"Oh, I just came by for a visit!" Aurore answered. "Heard you were the Queen and had to see that for myself! I mean, after having a Cinderella life, I'm surprised you made it to the throne."

"I had what it took to become a royal, Aurore," Peach's mom fought back. "But I guess that only made one of us from mom's side of the family."

"Why you little-!"

"Now what is it you really want, Aurore!? I don't have time for formalities!" Aurore's nose flared with anger as she stood there.

"How dare you treat your sister that way?!"

"You lost the right to be called my sister the moment you abandoned me!" Peach's mom exclaimed. "Especially after our parents died, when I needed you the most."

"Well, little sis, guess what? I'm back now," Aurore began, "and it seems you don't need me anymore. So why don't you just give me your scepter and I'll leave you alone!?"

"My scepter?" Peach's mom spoke. "You mean the one I was given by my husband's mother?! Absolutely not!" Aurore grew angrier. "It's my job as queen to protect the artifacts of the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as protect its people. Now leave before I have you arrested!"

"Very well, Jocelyn," Aurore began, steaming mad now. "But you're going to regret this." With that, Aurore Walter turned sharply away from the Queen and left the throne room in a huff. Peach released the breath she was holding at the same time as her mom did.

"What happened?" A voice asked, making Peach look over to see a younger version of her father, King Pierre Toadstool.

"Nothing to worry about, dear," Jocelyn's voice spoke as she nodded to her husband and left the throne room. All while that transpired, Peach now knew what happened the day her mom died.

OOOOOO

The living room was quiet, for the most part. Mario was minding his own business while reading his book, only to jump with a start at Vanessa slammed her laptop shut out of frustration. She sees this and apologizes for the start.

"Sorry," She said, before seeing the book in Mario's hands. She couldn't see the title, but she knew already that this book was not one from Luigi's library. "Where'd you get that book?"

Mario sighed. "You won't believe me if I tell you," He said, making Vanessa give him a golden eye look. Sometimes he forgot his aunt was part-dragon.

"Try me!" She yelled, making Mario gulp before closing the book and placing it between them. Vanessa could now see the title of the book was 'The History of the Dark Moon'. Vanessa's eyes faltered back to blue as she stared at it with surprise. She took it into her hands and looked it over.

"Queen Toadstool's ghost appeared to me," Mario explained. "She's the reason I'm here. She gave me that book to give me a hint of where Luigi was and I thought I'd give it a read. It seems interesting."

"This," Vanessa said, making Mario look confused. "This book should help us!"

OOOOOO

Back with Peach (still as her mother in her dream), she found herself on the balcony in her mother's room. It was looking out on the kingdom, showing her everything that was happening. She knew this room well since she recently was moved into it after her father passed. Though she kept everything that was her parents in their respective places.

She was just getting ready to walk back into the room when she noticed a dark cloud washing over the Mushroom Kingdom. It was coming towards the castle with Aurore on it, smirking wickedly as shadows formed around her.

"Jocelyn?" Peach turned around to see Pierre and her younger self standing there with fear.

"Go," Jocelyn said. "Take Peach and go. Find a safe place to hide."

"But what about you?!" Pierre yelled with worry as he took Jocelyn's hand into his. "I can't leave you behind!"

"It's my job as queen to use the kingdom's magic to protect our people," Jocelyn said. "Even if I don't make it."

"Mom, no!"

"Go!" Jocelyn yelled before Pierre kissed her cheek and took the 12-year-old Peach with him. She was crying and begging for her mom to come with them, but all she did was turn back to the attack.

_I remember this now, _Peach thought. _I wanted her to be safe like me and dad._

Peach watched from her mother's eyes as Aurore put up her hand, letting a black sphere from in the center of her palm. And Peach felt her arm rise on its own, with her mother's scepter in her hand. She raised it to the sky, letting the crystal diamond glow brightly as the gem on her crown shined with it.

Aurore shot the black sphere from her hand, making it a beam as it shot towards Toadstool Castle. Peach let her mother take control of the battle as she aimed the scepter at her aunt's beam of darkness, hitting it with white light and making contact in the center of it.

"Moonlight, gleam and glow/let your power shine/banish the darkest light/and save what once was mine," Her mother spoke as Peach watched from behind her mom now. She was herself again but was still in the room.

"Mom?" Peach spoke as Jocelyn kept her angered gaze at the battle.

"What once...WAS MINE!"

A giant amount of magic poured out of the scepter Jocelyn was holding, making it blast back Aurore's darkness and making wicked girl fly back and away from the Mushroom Kingdom. But as this happened, Peach saw the diamond on her mother's scepter shattered with the gem on her crown...and her mother started falling back.

OOOOOO

"NO, MOM!" Peach screamed as she woke up with a start while sitting up in her bed, making Luigi jump with the same start.

"Peach!" He yelled as he raced up and hugged her with worry. Peach giggled softly as she returned the embrace for just a moment before he let go.

"Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?" Luigi kept asking, making Peach start to laugh at his worried nature.

"I'm fine, Luigi," She said before her smile faded and she looked at her hands. "But that dream I had...it was weird."

"What was it?" He asked, making Peach look at him and go into the details that her dream held. She made sure she told him that she was also in her mom's position of what happened up to the very end when she got to watch from her own eyes.

"Wow, that's harsh to have to go through that," Luigi said.

"Yeah, it was," Peach returned. "It felt like the history of my mom and aunt."

At that moment, Mario raced into the room and stopped when he saw Peach was awake. She looked at him and grinned.

"Peach, you're awake! You okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. What's up?" She asked, making Mario grin with excitement.

"Zia Nessa might have found something that could help,"

OOOOOO

Peach, Mario, and Luigi raced into the living to see Vanessa holding the book Mario brought with him to the Gloomy Manor. But Peach didn't recognize it right away.

"Where did that book come from?" She asked as Mario walked over to Vanessa and sat down on her left.

"Your mom gave it to me, Peach," He said, making Peach stand there in shock."Her ghost appeared to me before I knew what happened to Luigi."

"I believe it," Luigi said, making Grace who was by the window giggle.

"At first I just thought it was her hint to tell me where Luigi was. But Zia Nessa thinks the book might help us."

Vanessa clears her throat as she opens to a certain section of the book, and read it to the others. "The Dark Moon hasn't always been up in the sky. It was put up there for protection over Evershade Valley. And one ordinary cook was the one to do this. Emma DeLuca was given the power and saved Evershade Valley from the evil intentions of a Vampire Queen, by putting the Dark Moon up in the sky with a simple phrase."

Luigi and Peach listened as Vanessa cleared her throat again and spoke the phrase. "Moonlight gleam and glow/let your power shine," Peach perked up as she walked closer to Vanessa and Mario.

"Banish the darkest light/and save what once was mine," Peach chimed in with Vanessa, making them all look at her with surprise.

"How do you know that phrase?" Mario asked.

"It was the phrase my mom used to save the Mushroom Kingdom," She answered as she looks over the book.

"Your mom and Emma knew each other before either of them got married," Vanessa said. "They were best friends. Shared everything."

"Even magic, it seems," Peach retorted as she saw the photo of her mom and Emma standing together at the Gloomy Manor. They looked so happy and young, and like nothing in the world could harm them. They looked like real friends who cared for each other as any friend would. But getting a better look at Emma, she noticed she had the same sapphire blue eyes as Mario and Luigi (well, when Luigi had blue eyes).

"Hey, bros," Mario and Luigi looked at Peach with wonder. "What was your mom's name?"

"Emma Mario," Luigi answered, realization washing over him as Mario stood there shocked.

"Was her maiden name DeLuca?"

"Oh, my; God!" Mario exclaimed as he looked at Luigi with shock.

"That would explain how she knew my mom's phrase," Peach sighed.

"What does any of this have to do with this curse I'm under?!" Luigi yelled with a shaky breath.

"Luigi," Vanessa began, "if we keep looking, maybe there's a phrase your mom created to counter any spell Aurore could cast!" Luigi's anger melted as he thought of this. Maybe that was true. Maybe his mom was powerful enough to come up with a counterspell. But it would make sense that his mom of all people would be the one to help him.

"That's mom for ya," Mario said with a chuckle, making Luigi smile at him.

"I'm determined to find it, Weegie," Vanessa added as she flipped through the pages again with interest. Luigi looked at Peach, watching as she moved some of her blond hair behind her ear with a swift movement.

"We're getting closer, Luigi," Peach said as she looked up at him as well, a smile on her face. "Soon...you'll be back to normal soon."


	5. Episode 5: Cousins

The village was a buzz. It was full of Evershade Villagers running around while doing errands. It was a peaceful town. No one dared to cause drama. But Aurore had shown up and it disturbed the balance of everything. Though she wasn't in the village now, the villagers still felt her presence throughout their home. It scared the children. It scared the animals. It scared almost everyone in this village that Aurore was in it.

They were all just grateful that she took up residence in the Treacherous Mansion.

A young girl, one who wasn't apart of the village, roamed around with a broomstick in her hand. Her dress was all black and looked medieval with cord tied around her waist and quarter length sleeves that had access fabric hanging off them. Her black hair was tied into two pigtails as her red eyes scanned the area.

"Wow," She said as she looked around before stopping on a light post, her smile falling with fear and shock as she saw Aurore's tag. It was a heart with a knife going through it. "Oh, no." She sighed as she spun and went to leave when she bumped into someone along the way.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," She said, looking up at the man she bumped into. He was wearing black overalls and a purple shirt, with a purple hat and an upside-down L in the center. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Yeah, whatever," He said rudely, making the girl look at him with disgust. Her eyes were glowing now out of anger, making the man look at her and gulp nervously.

"Excuse me?" She says. "I apologize and you be rude to me?"

"Uh..."

"Fine!" She yelled. "I rescind my apology!" She quickly got onto her broomstick and flew off towards the Treacherous Mansion, the man watching as she left.

"Damn it," He quietly said to himself. If he had known how pretty she was, he wouldn't have been so rude.

OOOOOO

**COUNT GREEN**

**Episode 5: Cousins**

OOOOOO

The Gloomy Manor seemed quiet. A little too quiet. Usually, Grace was being her loud teen self, or Luigi was accidentally setting something on fire with his black flames. But today's quietness wasn't a bad thing in Peach's eyes. Nope. It seemed peaceful. And with what has been happening lately, she needed a few hours of peace before chaos struck again.

So, that's what Peach was doing. She was sitting outside alone, getting some fresh air after being cooped up in the Gloomy Manor for so long now. And she needed it since she was getting dizzy spells even more frequently than before.

She winced after a moment, grabbing her bitten wrist out of pain. She rolled up her long-sleeve and looked at the now blood-soaked bandage. It was bleeding more now.

"He didn't even feed on my wrist today," She said to herself. "Why is it bleeding like this?"

"Peach?" The young princess turned around as she quickly covered up her wrist. Grace was standing by the doorway, grinning like a schoolgirl.

"Hi, Grace," Peach said, hiding the pain from her wrist very well. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, just out," Grace said vaguely. Peach just looked at Grace with suspicion, clearly wondering where she truly was. But instead of pushing, she just shook her head and grinned at the young ghost.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Luigi's looking for you," Grace said before giggling and fading away like any ghost would.

Peach giggled at the young ghost, wondering if this is how she was when she was alive. She stood up from the patio chair she had claimed and went to head inside...when she stopped in tracks and gasped as an image of a young girl with black twin pigtails and a broomstick.

"_Ah-ah-ahahah," _Peach perked up as the vision faded away, surprise on her face.

"That voice," She spoke quietly, hearing that same melody over and over again, and the image of the girl would not leave her. "Who is that?" Peach thought for a moment, going over all of their friends, but she wasn't one of them. Aurore, however, came to Peach's mind as well and though her evil aunt had black hair, she didn't wear it in pigtails like the girl she saw. Plus, this girl didn't have fangs but had red eyes.

After a moment, Peach shook her head of the thought and headed inside. Maybe they'd find out who she was before the day ended, or maybe they never would. Only time would tell.

OOOOOO

The young girl ran into the Treacherous Mansion, stopping in the Central Courtyard where she saw Aurore standing in front of her magic mirror. She breathed heavily as she walked in further, placing a hand on the arm-rest of the throne she had placed here.

"I see you finally showed up, Rita," Aurore spoke, making the girl, Rita, jump at the cold sound to the vampire queen's voice.

"Uh, yeah," She said. "I saw your tag."

"Good," Aurore said with a deep breath as she watched the mirror with intense red eyes. The mirror was showing Luigi in the living room at the Gloomy Manor, practicing with his dark powers. "This has gone on long enough!" She yelled.

"Just relax," Rita said as she walked forward a bit, her broomstick in one hand.

"How can I relax when they could be getting closer to the counterspell?!"

Rita just rolled her eyes at the woman's outburst. "I doubt they're anywhere near finding it," She said.

"That's what we are supposed to think," Aurore said as she glared at the glass in front of her. Rita just stared on, confused as to what she meant.

The image soon distorted, causing Aurore to groan in disgust before seeing a small village pop up in the Gloomy Manor Crew's place. Rita perked up at the sight and walked over, seeing the beautiful scenery of Evershade Village.

"What's this?" Aurore asked confused.

"Evershade Village," Rita answered. "It's a small town down the way, passed the Gloomy Manor."

"So there is life here?" Aurore smirked with a wicked idea as she walked over to a cauldron, Rita watching her every move. The Vampire Queen started throwing things into it, making puffs of smoke rise to the sky as she created her brew.

"What are you doing?" Rita asked.

"I need to buy us some time," Aurore answered. "And what better way to buy some time than an attack on the village?"

Rita's eyes widened in fear and worry. After hearing that Luigi was cursed to be one of Aurore's kind, she knew something bad was going to happen. Even after seeing her tag in the village, she just had this feeling that the woman before her was going to do something drastic. She had to stop her.

"You can't be serious!" She yelled to the red-eyed queen as she took a few steps forward. "The village has done nothing to you!"

"It's the only way, Rita!" Aurore said, side-eyeing Rita. "The only way to keep that boy as a future king to our kingdom." She looked back at her brew, watching it bubble and boil. "He's powerful. More powerful than your father was. Combine his new dark powers with the ones he already possessed, and he'll be unstoppable."

"But mom...!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Aurore screamed as she spun to look at Rita, making the young witch take a step back out of fear and surprise. The look in her mom's eyes showed anger and evil, with an intense red glow to her already red eyes. Rita knew this would happen. Her mom was thirsty for power and to find a king for their kingdom. She could see that this hunt was making Aurore crazy.

And she needed to be stopped.

"Get out of my sight," Aurore finally said, a tense and bitter sound to her voice. "We'll talk when I've cooled down."

Rita didn't have to be told twice. She high-tailed it out of there, grabbing her cloak before leaving the Treacherous Mansion all together. She closed the door and leaned against out of fear, breathing heavily as the cold stare from her mom sent shivers down her spine. She sighed in defeat as a big roar echoed through the air around her.

"Why must she always be so stubborn?" Rita asked herself, hearing her mother's wicked laugh enter the air as well. "If only she remembered those times before my father's death."

**(SONG: "Once Upon a December" – Anastasia on Broadway)**

Rita walked further away from the mansion, gripping onto her broomstick tighter than before. Her mind was flooded with memories of her father showing her different spells and different magic tricks. His smile graced his face in each memory.

_RITA: Dancing bears/painted wings/things I long to/remember./And a song/someone sings/Once Upon a December./Someone holds me safe and warm./Horses prance through a silver storm./Figures dancing gracefully/across my memory._

Rita sat on her broomstick and took to the sky, flying overhead. She could see the Secret Mine and the Haunted Towers from where she was. She even saw the Gloomy Manor and sighed with sorrow as she flew slowly towards Evershade Village. The somber feeling in her heart made her feel pity and sorry for Luigi, but mainly her mother. The only man she ever loved was her late husband, and Rita could tell that Aurore was trying to fill that void with someone else.

She thought back to how her mom used to be, always smiling, always thinking of her people before her own needs. She remembered how her mom's smile brightened up the room, and how she and her father would dance in the throne room together. But that was all before the spell she created to turn anyone into a vampire backfired and made her one. That spell even killed her father.

_RITA: Someone holds me safe and warm./Horses prance through a silver storm./Figures dancing gracefully/across my memory./Far away/long ago/glowing dim as an ember./Things my heart/used to know/things it yearns to remember._

She soon stopped and floated above the village, watching as everyone was minding their own business, with no clue that a monster was on its way.

_RITA: And a song/someone sings..._

The roar echoed through the air again as Rita watched the village people look around with wonder and fear.

_RITA: ...Once Upon a Dece-em-ber..._

**(End of the song)**

OOOOOO

Peach walked through the halls of the Gloomy Manor until she finally reached the living room. She walked inside, not seeing Luigi at all. "Luigi?" She called out but didn't get an answer. She finally looked up to the ceiling...and screamed. There, just hanging upside down and chilling, was a brown bat.

"How'd you get in here?!" Peach yelled again as she went to run away since the bat started flying down to her. However, smoke rose in the center of the room as the bat flew into it. When it disappeared, Luigi was in its place.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Luigi said, grabbing Peach's hand to calm her down. "It's just me. Relax." He chuckled as Peach steadied her breathing. She eventually calmed down, which resulted in her slapping Luigi on the arm out of a short amount of fear.

"Don't you DARE scare me like that again!" She yelled at him, making Luigi chuckle again.

"I'll do my best," He said. Peach just grins as she shakes her head. She knew he had to learn how to control his new powers, but did he have to be turned into something that made him become a bat?

"Anyway," She began, "what did you need to see me for?" Luigi looked on confused, making Peach look confused as well. "Grace told me you needed to see me?" This was when Luigi realized what was going on.

"Grace told you that?" He asked, earning a slow and confused nod from Peach. He scoffed with amusement. "She told me that YOU needed to see ME." He clarified, making Peach look on with a smirk.

"She just wanted to get us alone," She finally understood. It was no secret that the two liked each other, but it was obvious to everyone but the two in the room.

Luigi has always liked Peach as more than a friend, and Peach could always feel these butterflies in her stomach whenever he put his hand on her shoulder or even just hugged her. She felt safe with him. Yeah, she felt safe with Mario as well, but it seemed that she felt safer with Luigi more so than Mario now. And her heart always seemed to fly whenever Luigi said her name. It had to mean that she was falling for the Man in Green...right?

"Why us?" She finally asked, making Luigi shake his head from staring at her beauty and blush a bit.

"I-I don't know," He said, keeping his feelings hidden to the best of his ability. If only he knew that she was hiding her feelings for him as well. "Maybe just to get us closer."

"Maybe," Peach smiled.

"Anyway," He coughed into his fist, looking a bit unconformable as he changed the subject, "any dizzy spells lately?"

"No," Peach returned. "But I did get this weird vision earlier."

"A vision?" Luigi asked, confused.

"Yeah!" Peach exclaimed. "It was of a girl who looked almost like me. Age and all! The only difference was the black hair in pigtails and red eyes."

"Don't tell me you have a twin, too!" Luigi yelled, making Peach giggle at his response.

"Trust me, I don't have a twin," She said, smiling that beautiful smile of hers. Though it did fall after a while, making her sigh. "But I don't know what is going on with me. Ever since I showed up here, I've been getting weird things coming to my mind."

Luigi looked at her concerned, making Peach look into his red eyes and blush. His concern for her even gave her those butterflies! She so badly just wanted to pull him over and kiss him. But in the back of her mind, she thought that maybe he didn't like her in that same way and that it would ruin their friendship. So, she held back.

"But I can look into all of that later," She said, composing herself like how any queen would. "Right now, we need to figure out how to change you back."

Luigi grinned at her, his eyes showing how grateful he was to have a friend like her. "Thanks," He said. "But maybe we should figure out who that girl was you saw in your vision. Maybe she'll have some answers for us."

Peach thought about that and sighed with a grin. "You know what, that's a good point." She returned. "These images in my brain haven't steered me wrong so far."

"Then let's-"

"Guys!" Peach and Luigi looked over to see Mario rushing into the living room, holding a book from the Gloomy Manor library.

"Where's the book you brought?" Peach asked, noticing the different binding on the book Mario was holding.

"Zia Nessa is reading it over," Mario answered. "But I thought there had to be another book in that library that could tell us more about these blood-suckers!"

"Gee, thanks," Luigi said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"But we looked through all those books, Mario," Peach returned. "There was nothing."

Mario smirked as he held up the book to show them. "But there was," He said. The book was called 'My Dark Magic' and was written in a very medieval sort of writing, with a silhouette of a girl who was holding what seemed to be a broomstick in her hand on the cover. It seemed she was sitting on it. However, there was no name for the author anywhere.

"Where'd you find that?" Luigi asked as he took it into his hands and looked over the hard binding.

"It was in one of the piles by the piano," Mario answered, making Luigi sigh in defeat.

"Out of all the places we looked," He began, "we never looked there." Peach slapped her forehead out of stupidity.

"Good thing I came when I did," Mario smirked, making Peach look at him in a 'don't-be-cocky' sort of way before looking at the book again. Luigi had opened it at this point, turning a few pages before...

"Wait," Peach said, stopping Luigi in his tracks. He looked at the photo, making Mario come over and look as well. It was the same photo that was silhouetted on the cover, but this one had its features.

It was indeed a girl, with long black hair in twin low-riding pigtails, red eyes, and pale white skin. She was smirking at the camera with her head tilted to the side, seeming cute. Her dress was a plain black medieval dress with brown cords and she was indeed sitting on a broomstick with her hands on either side of her and holding the object.

"That's her," Peach whispered, making the bros look at her. "That's her! That's the girl I saw in my vision!"

"Are you sure?" Luigi asked shocked.

"I'm 100% sure!"

"Guys, I'm barely following," Mario retorted. "What's this about a vision you had, Peach?" The young princess just gave a quick description of her vision. She even mentioned the melody of a song that she left out with Luigi.

"Wow," Mario said. "Could she be a vampire, too?"

"She didn't have fangs," Peach answered. "I don't think so."

"Then who could she be?" Luigi asked, getting Peach and Mario to look at him.

"Guess we'll have to read to find that out," Mario said right as a knock was heard on the front door. The trio looked over as Luigi walked forward, stopping in front of it.

"Who could that be?" Peach asked as Luigi answered it and stared with shock.

"WaLuigi?!"

"Luigi?!" WaLuigi yelled in return with his own shock. "What are you doing here?!"

"I live here!" Luigi yelled back. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I was bored and decided to come to a new part of the Mushroom Kingdom!" WaLuigi crossed his arms out of anger.

"So you decided to knock on some random door just for fun?" Peach asked as she crossed her arms, making WaLuigi look over at Mario and Peach. He saw Grace was there now, too.

"Sure!" He answered. "Who knows, I thought it would be fun to meet someone new! But now-!"

"That's enough, young man!" Everyone looked over, seeing the glowing golden eyes of Vanessa standing there, blocking the hall to the knights and foyer. WaLuigi, however, gulped with shock as his arms dropped back down to his sides.

"Mom?! What are you doing here?!"

"Helping your cousin with a problem," Vanessa answered as she crossed her arms. "Is that a crime?" Her eyes grew intense as she stared at WaLuigi.

"No, no. It's fine," He said, fear clearly present in his words. Luigi snickered at the sight, making WaLuigi glare at him.

"Where's Wario?" Vanessa asked.

"He stayed behind," WaLuigi answered, looking back at his mom. "He didn't want to come to a place where ghosts roam free."

"Of course he didn't," Vanessa sighed, her eyes calming down and going back to their blue color.

"Am I in trouble?" WaLuigi asked, worry on his face while a smirk was on Luigi's.

Vanessa looked back at WaLuigi, annoyance on her face. "No," She said when a thought came to her mind. "But maybe you could help us."

The smirk on Luigi's face fell instantly at those words.

"Oh, hell no!" He yelled. "If anyone, he's the LEAST I'd like to share this with!"

"Share what?!" WaLuigi yelled, making Luigi unwillingly hiss at him. Peach jumped with a surprise as Luigi backed away in shock

"The hell?!" He exclaimed.

"Wait a minute," WaLuigi said as he looked closer, seeing red eyes instead of the blue that Luigi usually possessed. Combining that with the hiss, WaLuigi put two and two together. He smirked with intrigued. "Who bit you?" He asked, making Luigi glare at him again.

Vanessa just sighed in frustration. "Would you two stop it?!" She yelled, gaining everyone's attention. "I know you two hate each other for who knows what reason, but now is not the time to-!" A giant roar and screams stop Vanessa in her sentence as they all race out of the house to see what was going on.

"I thought we were the only ones here!" Peach yelled as she stared at the village down the road.

"I guess not," Mario stated. WaLuigi just stood there in pure shock, hear the roar vibrate his skull once again.

"What was that?!" He called as Luigi rushes off the patio, only stopping when Peach spoke up.

"Luigi, where are you going?!" She yelled in worry.

"I have to help," Luigi returned as he spun to look at her. Her eyes were holding fear and concern for his well-being if he fought. "This could be Aurore's doing!"

"Who?!" WaLuigi yelled confused.

"And I'm not going to sit back while something monstrous is terrorizing a small village," Luigi continued, ignoring WaLuigi's outburst, as smoke rose around him slowly. And after a second, he flew out as a bat, heading towards the village.

"Luigi! Wait up!" Peach yelled as she hopped off the patio as well and raced after him, Mario not far behind.

"What the hell is going on?!" WaLuigi yelled before looking at his mom, who was still behind him. "Mom?!"

"It's a long story, dear," Vanessa said, taking a few steps towards him. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

OOOOOO

Another roar echoed through the air as Rita shot dark flames at him from the air. She had to at least try to protect the village, but it seemed nothing was working. And what made her mom think that a werewolf would be a good idea for a monster?!

"Come on," She mumbled. "Go down already!"

Little squeaks in the air caught Rita's attention, making her turn her head to see a little bat flying over. "The hell?" She seemed confused as smoke rose on the ground, with the little bat flying right through it. And before long, it faded and revealed a cloaked man with the hood over his head. At first, Rita was curious to who it could be, the moment she saw Peach rushing over from the hill, she knew it was Luigi.

"He's learning fast," She said as the monster spun towards him. "Here's hoping it's strong enough."

The monster growled as Luigi made a ring of black fire go around him at his feet. Peach had stopped a little ways away, waiting for a cue to come in and help if she was needed. Rita watched from the sky, floating on her broomstick as Luigi shot the dark flames out towards the monster, making it roar out in pain, but it didn't fall over. The beast looked at Luigi dangerously, making the once shy man look on in fear yet again.

"Oh, Mama Mia," He said as the monster charged at him, making him dodge quickly out of the way, rolling on the ground in the process. He stood up and stared, while Peach just rolled her eyes and raced in. She shot some of her pink fire at the monster, making it back up some.

"Peach, what are you-?!" Luigi began to scold when Peach looked at him, determination and power in her eyes.

"Don't ask," She began, "just fight!" She raced to the other side of the monster, while Luigi just sighed and went opposite, shooting his once green powers (now tainted with darkness) at the monster once again. Peach was using all she had to help. Her pink fire, her pink hearts, anything that could stop this monster's terror. However, nothing seemed to have been working.

Rita noticed this and flew down to the duo, hopping off her broomstick behind Peach. "Hey, Pinkie!" She called, making Peach look over, eyes widening at the sight of Rita. "Need some help?" She asked with a smirk, her hand engulfed in a black flame. Peach was hesitant at first, but in the end, she smiled and nodded her head in response.

Rita shot her black flame at the monster at the exact same time as Luigi, both flames hitting the monster head-on. The Man in Green looked confused as he looked over to see Rita there, her red eyes glowing with anger as she stared dangerously at the monster. _What are the odds that the girl from the book would show up here? _He thought.

As he was seeing the two girls, Peach was getting ready to rev up another attack, when she fell down to her side, another dizzy spell hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Peach!" Luigi called out, getting ready to go to her when the monster roared and hit him away.

"Luigi!" Peach yelled as she went to get up, but fell right back down. The dizzy spell was strong this time, making it hard for her to do anything. Even breathe. Rita saw this from her post and raced over, kneeling down on one knee in front of her.

"Get up," She said, a little rude with a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm dizzy," Peach returned. "The world is spinning...I can't move. What's going on with me?" Rita sighs as she touches Peach's hand for comfort.

"You've been keeping your dark magic hidden for too long. It's suffocating you," She said. "It's time to let it go." Peach looked up at Rita, her vision still spinning and blurry. _"Ah-ah-ahahah," _Rita sang out, making Peach perk up.

"_Ah-ah-ahahah," _She returned it, making Rita grin as she helped Peach stand up.

"_Ah-ah-ahahah," _They sang it in unison as Peach's dizzy spell stopped abruptly and her eyes glowed silver.

"Stand back," She said dangerously, making Rita take a few steps back as Luigi was fighting the monster, and trying to get to them.

"Peach! What's going on over there?!" He called as red flames hit the monster as well. He turned to see his brother standing there, a smile of determination on his face.

"I got you, bro!" Mario yelled. "Go to her!" Luigi nodded his thanks before racing passed the monster, his cloak flying behind him. He stopped a little ways away as his eyes widened. Pink and black electricity danced around Peach's hands as she breathed heavily. The monster swung his arm and hit Mario, making him fly back and making Luigi spin around to see what happened.

"Mario!" He called before Peach screamed and released all the dark magic she had. Pink and black danced around in the air as it hit the monster head on, making it roar in pain. It stopped his movements as it entered his body. Mario sat up and saw what Peach was doing, his eyes widening just as much as Luigi's did.

The monster kept roaring out in pain as Peach kept using her dark powers. She was forcing more to come out of her hands quickly, making Rita look with concern.

"I think you've released enough!" She called, making Peach scream as she released one final blast and made the monster explode into a million little pieces, causing everyone to stumble and fall back to the ground.

Rita sat up and saw Peach was out cold on the ground, making her stare with worry. "Pinkie?!" She called, gaining Mario and Luigi's attention. Mario had already stood up at this point, while Luigi just sat up. They saw the princess unconscious as well, making their worried hearts grow even more worried. Luigi quickly stood up and raced over, his hood still glued to its position on his head. He fell to his knees beside her and lifted her up into his arms.

"Peach, can you hear me?" He asked as she opened her eyes and smiled at him. He smiled with relief as well. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She said as he helped her stand up and held her close protectively. Mario raced over as well, a smile on his face to see that the princess was okay.

"That was some magic you had there," Mario said. "Where'd it come from?"

"I don't know. I just found out I had that after Luigi's accident," Peach answered, keeping her head on Luigi's chest. "I kept it hidden for too long though. It was time for it to be released." She grinned over at Rita, making the young witch grin back.

"Who are you?" Luigi asked as he looked at Rita, making Peach look on with worry. With Luigi's new powers, chances were this wouldn't end well. He kept Peach behind him out of protection.

"I'm Rita," She answered. "Rita Walter." This got the bros attention as they kept Peach away. Peach just stared in shock.

"Any relation to Aurore Walter?" Mario asked, making Rita sigh.

"Unfortunately, yes," She answered. "Aurore Walter's my mother. But I disagree with anything evil that she has been doing."

"I believe you," Peach said, moving around Luigi and Mario, and standing before her. "Thanks for helping us with that werewolf."

"Sure thing," Rita returned. "It's the least I could do."

"Do you think you could help us again?" Peach asked with hope. "My friend here was-"

"Put under the Vampire Curse written by my mother. I know," Rita interrupted, looking at Luigi in his cloak. "I warned her that curse would hurt somebody innocent. She didn't heed that warning."

"She gave it to Bowser," Mario said. "And Bowser's Magikoopa used it, aiming it at me!"

"And your brother took it instead?" Rita asked shocked, making Luigi nod his head.

"He's my brother," Luigi said. "I'd do anything to protect him."

"Likewise, bro," Mario returned, making Rita smile at this family's love.

"I've been looking on my own," She said. "Trying to find my mother's spellbook. If anything, the counterspell is in there."

"But I thought she wrote the curse," Peach said confused.

"She did. But with any curse or spell, you have to write a counterspell," Rita returned. "It's to save face in case you curse the wrong person."

"And how do you know this?" Luigi asked, crossing his arms. "Your mom teach you?"

"No," Rita answered. "My dad. He taught me all about spells and curses. Well, he taught me what he could before he died."

"I'm so sorry," Peach said as she put a hand on Rita's arm, comforting her in the process.

"Wait," Mario spoke up. "You've been helping us this whole time?" Leave it the Man in Red to be as slow as ever.

"Indeed!" Rita yelled. "I don't condone what my mother has done! To me, she's the Evil Queen and I'm Snow White! If I don't stop her now, the world will not be as we know it."

"Have you found the spellbook?" Mario asked again, making Peach look at Rita with hope.

"Sadly, no. She's hidden it well this time," Rita sighed with sorrow. "But I'm sure we'll find it soon."

"Are you vampire, too?" Luigi finally spoke, making everyone look at him as he was staring at her. Though, Peach saw something in his eyes. Something she hadn't seen since she showed up here.

Hope.

"No, I'm not," Rita answered. "I was born of a vampire and a wizard. I got my mother's red eyes and black hair, and maybe some of her dark powers, but I never got her fangs."

"Well, that puts me at ease," Mario spoke, making everyone look at him again. "My bro is already one. I don't need two in my life."

Rita just giggled as she grinned at him. "Of course," She said. "I suggest we head back to the Gloomy Manor. It'll be safer to disgust this further there."

"I couldn't agree more," Luigi returned as he let smoke rise around him and then flew off as a bat again. Mario raced after him up the hill. Peach was about to go when Rita grabbed her hand, making her look at her with wonder.

"Peach, right?" She asked.

"Yeah," Peach returned, seeing Rita grinning at her now. "What?"

"It's just...it's nice to finally meet my cousin," The black-haired girl said, making Peach smile and pull her into a hug. This caught Rita off guard at first, but she ended smiling and hugging her in return.

"It's nice to finally meet you, too," Peach said before they pulled away and Rita got on her broomstick. She smiled at her blond cousin and nodded to the back of her broom.

"Care for a ride?" She asked, making Peach squeal and get on. "Hold on tight!" She said before zipping to the sky and flying over to the Gloomy Manor, all while Peach is giggling with excitement.

OOOOOO

Luigi had turned back into himself as he landed in the house and walked over to the living room to relax. Though, he stopped when he saw WaLuigi was still there, reading the book that Mario had brought with him.

"WaLuigi?" He spoke, gaining the guy in purple's attention. "I thought you would have left by now."

"My mom told me what's going on," He answered, making Luigi groan in disgust and deteste. "And though I can't stand you at times, being turned into a vampire is uncool." Luigi looked at WaLuigi with surprise. "So, whatever you need...I'm here."

Luigi grinned at his cousin, his arms crossed over his chest. "Thanks," He said.

"Yeah, whatever," WaLuigi said with his own grin. "Just don't bite me!" Luigi scoffed with a chuckle before looking back at him.

"No promises," He returned, smirking, before leaving the room.

OOOOOO

Aurore growled as she stared at the victory of the Mario Bros and their friends. Even her own daughter went behind her back to defeat her monster. She screamed with anger as she threw the goblet in her hand and went up to the Terrace, seeing the opening that once held King Boo's dimension.

"Why, Rita?" She spoke quietly. "Why must you disappoint your mother?"

"Because she knows the difference from right and wrong," A voice spoke, making Aurore spin around to see golden eyes glowing in the darkness. Immediately, she could tell these eyes belonged to a woman, and even though she was wearing black, Aurore could still tell she had a dress on with some blue under a black lace shirt and a black skirt. Her boots were even brown like the Mario Brothers, though they stopped under her knees.

"Who are you?" Aurore asked dangerously. "How'd you get in here?"

"It's the Terrace," The girl said, pushing herself off the wall and keeping her arms crossed. "It's a free point of entry."

"Who are you?!" Aurore hissed, making the girl scoff with amusement.

"Wow, Drakaina **(1)** must not get much press," She said with a smirk. This seemed to have calmed Aurore down as she stared at the woman again. "I guess, as it's Queen, I must rectify that."

"You're..."

"That's right," The girl walked into the light, showing off the long brown hair and a silver tiara on her head. "And you messed with my brother. For that, I will do everything in my power, to destroy you." Aurore hissed at her, only to back up in fear as the girl roared at her.

"Stay away from family," She said, letting her arms fall to her sides as smoke rose around her. "Consider that a warning." And with that, the smoke covered her and she took to the sky as a royal blue dragon. Aurore watched as she flew away quickly, making her scream in frustration.

"You want me to stay away?" She said dangerously. "Not a chance, girly. He'll be my king shortly."

OOOOOO

**1 – Drakaina [Dra-kahn-ah]**


End file.
